Sabrina Carpenter apologises after mistaking Arabic celebration call for yodeling at Coachella

Dubai: Sabrina Carpenter has issued a public apology following a moment during her Coachella headlining set on Friday night that sparked significant backlash online.

The incident, which was captured on video and shared widely across social media, involved the singer mistaking a Zaghrouta, a traditional Arabic call of celebration, for yodeling during her performance.

As Carpenter sat at her piano during her set on Coachella's main stage, an audience member let out a Zaghrouta. Carpenter, apparently unable to identify the sound, addressed it directly into the microphone. "I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you're doing? I don't like it," she said.

The fan responded by telling her it was their culture. Carpenter replied: "That's your culture, is yodeling?" When the audience member clarified that it was a call of celebration, Carpenter quipped: "Is this Burning Man? What's going on? This is weird."

The exchange was clipped and shared rapidly after the show, with many viewers criticising the comments as dismissive and culturally insensitive.

Carpenter addressed the controversy directly on X the following day. "My apologies, I didn't see this person with my eyes and couldn't hear clearly," she wrote. "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."

She also responded to a specific post on X that had described her reaction as insensitive and islamophobic, acknowledging the criticism directly rather than letting her statement stand alone.

For those unfamiliar, a Zaghrouta is a high-pitched, trilling vocal sound used across Arab cultures as an expression of joy and celebration. It is commonly heard at weddings, festivals and other significant occasions and carries deep cultural meaning for many communities across the Middle East and North Africa. It is entirely unrelated to yodeling, which is a vocal technique originating from the Alpine regions of Europe.

Carpenter headlined Coachella's opening Friday night as one of three top-billed acts for 2026, alongside Justin Bieber and Karol G. Her set was by most accounts a spectacle, featuring cameos from Sam Elliott, Will Ferrell and Susan Sarandon, the latter of whom delivered a seven-minute monologue during one of Carpenter's costume changes. She also performed several tracks live for the first time, including We Almost Broke Up Last Night and When Did You Get Hot? from her most recent album Man's Best Friend.

She is set to return to the Coachella stage for her second headlining performance on Friday 17 April.