Sabrina Carpenter apologized after dismissing a traditional Arabic celebratory trill as 'weird' during her Coachella set, following backlash accusing her of insensitivity. The singer explained her onstage reaction came from confusion and sarcasm. She now welcomes all cheers after learning about the Zaghrouta.
During her Weekend 1 headline performance at the Indio music festival, Sabrina Carpenter heard a fan trilling from the crowd. She asked if the audience member was yodeling and added, 'I don’t like it.' When the fan explained it was part of her culture, Carpenter replied, 'That’s your culture, is yodeling?' and later, 'Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.' after the fan described it as a call of celebration. The moment went viral, sparking criticism for being insensitive and xenophobic. One social media user posted, 'sabrina saying that she doesn’t like a cultural arabic cheer… this is so insensitive and islamophobic. i am very disappointed in her.'