Sabrina Carpenter has been making a lot of headlines as one of this year’s Coachella headliners, but one moment in particular might’ve tarnished her upcoming performance.
During her weekend one set for the major music festival, the “Manchild” singer had an awkward interaction with some crowd members who were doing a specific kind of chant. Despite audience members trying to tell her it was a positive, cultural expression, Sabrina still dismissed it as “yodeling” and said she “didn’t like it,” prompting a heavy wave of backlash on social media. Read more about the situation below.
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Sabrina Carpenter Has Awkward Interaction With Cheering Fans At Coachella
This year, the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California, is especially buzzing. Not only is Justin Bieber a rare headliner, putting on a one-of-a-kind show for fans who haven't been able to see him live in years, but Sabrina Carpenter, one of today's biggest pop artists, also put on a fun and entertaining set.
The tiny blonde bombshell stepped out on stage and performed some of her biggest hits in sultry costumes, accompanied by dancers and exciting set pieces. At one point, she sat down at a piano to sing her song, "We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night," when she ended up having an interaction with fans in the crowd that people are still talking about.
The crowd went a little quieter as Sabrina sat at the piano, but there were a number of fans performing a Zaghrouta, a type of cheer or trill commonly used for celebratory moments. Often used in Arab culture, the Zaghrouta is also rooted in African, Egyptian, and other cultures, and can go by different names. The sound caught her attention, as she asked with a concerned look on her face, "I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you're doing?"
As the fans continued, with others explaining that it's "an Arab call," she said, "I don't like it."
After a fan explained that it's part of their culture, the pop singer controversially asked, "That's your culture, is yodeling?" before she joked, "Is this Burning Man? What's going on? This is weird." You can see a video of the interaction here.
Social Media Slams Sabrina's Reaction To The Crowd's Cheer
After the livestream of the Disney alum's performance ended, social media users began circulating a clip of her interacting with the "yodeling" fans, and many fans, as well as other users, became very angry. Many felt Sabrina's attitude towards not just the call, but learning that it's part of a fan's culture, was "offensive," and that she should've either professionally ignored it or approached the situation in an entirely different way.
"Why are people defending this?" asked a TikTok user.
"So disrespectful," commented a user, as another added, "This is rude."
"As someone from Saudi Arabia, I can say this is a normal and joyful part of our culture," wrote a user. "It's not strange or random—it has meaning and history. That's why it was disappointing to hear her say she didn't like the sound. It felt dismissive and disrespectful toward a culture she may not fully understand."
The backlash she received on various sorts of social media platforms led the "Espresso" singer to put out an apology, which is garnering mixed reactions.
"My apologies, I didn't see this person with my eyes and couldn't hear clearly," she wrote on X. "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."
We'll be curious to see the impact this incident and her subsequent apology have on this coming weekend's performance from Sabrina, especially since there are still a large number of people she is not winning over.
"You clearly heard them and said, 'This is your culture?' with that weirded-out face," responded a user. "If there hadn't been backlash, you wouldn't have even apologized."
