Sabrina Carpenter, the first headliner of the 2026 California music festival Coachella, found herself in the spotlight not for her Old Hollywood-themed performance but for her reaction to a fan’s cultural celebration.
On Friday, while performing, Carpenter reacted to a fan who let out a “zaghrouta,” an Arabic celebratory ululation traditionally performed by women to express joy at events such as births and weddings. The sound is a high-pitched, trilling vocal expression rooted in Arab culture.
Carpenter’s response drew attention after she said on stage that she did not like the sound. Following backlash on social media, the 26-year-old pop singer issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “My apologies i didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly. My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill-intended. could have handled it better! Now I know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”
Earlier during the performance, Carpenter responded to the sound by saying, “I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it.” A fan in the crowd replied, “It’s my culture!”
Carpenter then responded, “That’s your culture, is yodeling?”
The fan clarified, “It’s a call of celebration.” Carpenter added, “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.”
The exchange sparked backlash online, with some users accusing the singer of being dismissive of cultural expression. Responding to her apology on X, one user wrote that her reaction appeared dismissive and suggested the apology came only after criticism. Another user criticized her response as uninformed, arguing that musicians should be open to unfamiliar sounds and cultural expressions. A third commenter pointed to what they described as visible “disdain,” saying the reaction did not appear to be simple confusion.
Another user questioned the apology, suggesting, “The disdain on your face was loud and clear. Don’t act like it was just confusion. Our culture is beautiful and loud, if you can’t handle it with respect, don’t pretend to care now just for PR.”
However, some users defended Carpenter, arguing that she is not obligated to like every form of expression.
One user identifying as Arab wrote, “It’s okay, I’m Arab and wasn’t offended, everyone has the right to have an opinion and to like or dislike whatever, it shouldn’t be insulting, that’s just dumb. Love you.”
Despite some support, a significant portion of online reactions remained critical.