Sabrina Carpenter has issued an apology after being accused of mocking an Arabic call at Coachella 2026. The 26-year-old headlined the opening day of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California on Friday night, with Justin Bieber and Karol G also topping the bill this year. Referencing Hollywood films with the help of special guest actors such as Sam Elliott, Corey Fogelmanis, and Samuel L. Jackson, her set has been widely praised by fans and critics. However, one exchange she shared with a fan has quickly become one of the night’s most discussed moments.
While the singer took to her piano, she overheard what has been widely interpreted as a Zaghrouta, which is a high-pitched sound performed by women in Arab cultures to express joy and celebration. Pausing her performance, she tried to understand what the sound was, before calling it ‘weird’ and stating: ‘I don’t like it.’
She said: ‘I think I heard something yodel is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it. That’s your culture is yodelling. Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.’ Reacting to the moment on social media, many fans labelled her remarks as ‘rude’ and ‘condescending’, with some even labelling it as insulting to the fan’s culture. However the singer then went on to respond directly to one post criticising her on X, 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.’
Before Sabrina had issued her apology, @mdnarae said on X: ‘They’re gonna cancel her for this aren’t they.’ They continued: ‘I think she genuinely wasn’t coming from a bad place but when someone says “that’s my culture” put ur PR training to use and DONT DOUBLE DOWN 😭😭. I didn’t know that culture either but I wouldn’t double down if someone said that was their culture.’ Dawn also wrote on the site: ‘Did Sabrina Carpenter just accidentally insult a Muslim woman for her ululation cheer? She thought it was “yodeling” 😂 and said she doesn’t like it, lol. I wonder if she’ll get cancelled for it!’
Chloe, meanwhile, added: ‘I already know sabrina’s gonna get canceled for the yodeling thing.’ However, leaping to her defence, many people called her reaction an ‘honest mistake’. Performing on her opening day, Sabrina played popular songs such as House Tour, Please, Please, Please, and When Did You Get Hot. Converting the stage into ‘Sabrinawood’, her seat featured elaborate decorations and props.
A particularly memorable moment also saw Will Ferrell pretend to be an electrician as he ‘turned back on the power’ for her show. Sabrina will return for the second weekend of Coachella next week, with Justin and Karol also set to treat the thousands-strong crowds to performances. Making history, Karol becomes the first Latina artist ever to headline the event, which has been tipped as a cultural milestone and follows Bad Bunny’s 2023 slot, where he became the first Latin American artist to headline. K-pop phenomenon Blackpink also became the first Asian group to take to the main stage three years ago.
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