Pop star Sabrina Carpenter issued an apology on Sunday after she called an Arabic celebratory chant “weird” during her set at the Coachella music festival.
Carpenter sparked backlash online when video went viral of her mocking a member of the crowd doing an Arabic celebratory chant during her set, referring to it as “yodeling.”
“I don’t like it,” Carpenter told the crowd.
When the audience member replied that it was part of her culture, Carpenter said, “That’s your culture, is yodeling?”
After the fan called it a celebration, Carpenter quipped, “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.”
The chant was later identified as Zaghrouta, which The National defined as “a vocal expression of joy made by rapidly moving the tongue from side to side while producing a high-pitched sound.”
“It is often performed in bursts and can carry across large spaces, making it instantly recognizable at gatherings,” said the outlet. “While it may sound unfamiliar to some, it is widely understood as a signal of happiness, pride or excitement.”
Segments of social media accused Carpenter of “Xenophobia” or lacking cultural grace.
“My Jewish grandmothers, one from Tunisia, one from Iraq, both did it at every celebration I ever had. It’s called ululation. It’s ancient and it’s joyful. When someone tells you “this is my culture,” that’s the moment you choose grace or dismissal. Sabrina Carpenter chose dismissal,” said one user.
The singer later apologized in a post on X.
“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,” she said.
Some users accepted her apology while others said that people blew the situation out proportion.
“Sabrina Carpenter has now apologized. She said she couldn’t see or hear the audience member clearly, and that her reaction was confusion, not malice. I believe her. And I appreciate that she said something,” said one user.
