Sabrina Carpenter, the American singer-songwriter, has faced backlash after an incident in which she apparently mistook an Arabic cultural cheer for a “weird” yodel during her headlining set at the 2026 Coachella Music & Arts Festival.
While performing on Friday at the event, Carpenter reportedly reacted negatively to an ululating scream known as zaghrouta and commonly heard among Arab-speaking women during celebrations. The 26-year-old singer appeared to be baffled by the sound.
“Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it,” said Carpenter, as shown in a video circulating on social media. On further clarification of the zaghrouta, the singer continued, “That’s your culture? Yodeling? Is this Burning Man? This is weird.”
@kiwolared She’s weird #fyp #coachella #sabrinacarpenter
♬ original sound – kiwola._
The incident soon went viral and drew charges of Islamophobia against Carpenter.
Hours later, the pop star issued an apology via a post on X.
The apology received much praise from fans, who considered the moment merely a miscommunication. The original poster also accepted the singer’s explanation of the situation.
“It is not like you went back and repeated everything the lady said to confirm whether it was what she had been saying,” one supporter commented. Other netizens requested a closure of the issue.
“Can you guys let her go now that she has already apologized and admitted that she had an honest mistake. As usual, internet trolls would take every opportunity to try and derail an artist,” a second one added.
Yet another commenter praised the pop star’s maturity: “That is so mature of you, Sabrina. I am happy she decided to educate herself and apologize.”
