Sabrina Carpenter Apologizes Over Misunderstanding of Arabic Call

Sabrina Carpenter says she now knows what a zaghrouta is—and she wishes she'd handled hearing one at Coachella differently. The 26-year-old singer apologized on X after video circulated of her reacting onstage to the high-pitched ululation, a traditional Arabic celebration chant, during her Friday performance. In the clip, Carpenter mistakes the sound for yodeling, and jokes, "I don't like it," reports USA Today. When the fan explains it's a celebratory call and "my culture" Carpenter responds, "That's your culture, yodeling?" and "Is this Burning Man? What's going on? This is weird."

In her post, Carpenter wrote that she hadn't clearly seen or heard the person in the crowd and that her response was "pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended." She added: "could have handled it better! now i know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome[s] all cheers and yodels from here on out." The moment sparked backlash online, notes the New York Times, with some users labeling the exchange insensitive and even Islamophobic. Others cut Carpenter some slack. "That is the right way to end it," one wrote. "She didn't know, but now she does." The performance marked Carpenter's first time headlining the festival.