Sabrina Carpenter apologized after comments she made during her Coachella set were criticized as dismissive of a fan's cultural expression, drawing backlash.
"My apologies, I didn't see this person with my eyes and couldn't hear clearly," Carpenter wrote on X Saturday. "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."
The statement came hours after clips from her Friday performance began circulating on social media.
In the videos, Carpenter is seen reacting to a sound from the audience as she sat at the piano on the festival’s main stage. A fan screamed out a zaghrouta, an Arabic call used in celebration, which the singer appeared to misinterpret.
"I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you're doing? I don't like it," Carpenter said into the microphone.
When the fan shouted, "It's my culture!" she responded, "That's your culture, is yodeling?"
The fan then said, "It's a call of celebration," prompting Carpenter to add, "Is this Burning Man? What's going on? This is weird."
The exchange quickly became a focal point of online discussion, with some viewers criticizing the tone of Carpenter's remarks and describing them as insensitive to a cultural expression.
The criticism continued even after Carpenter's apology, with several social media users questioning her explanation and intent.
"you clearly heard them and said 'this is your culture?' with that weirded-out face ... if there hadn't been backlash, you wouldn't have even apologized," one person wrote on X.
Another added, "The 'distain' on your face was loud and clear. Don't act like it was just confusion. Our culture is beautiful and loud, if you can't handle it with respect, don't pretend to care now just for PR."
A third wrote, "You literally asked them if that was their culture and said you didn't like it afterwards girl bye. Performative and you probably about to promote an album and this is your way of 'clearing your name.'"
Carpenter said in her apology that she hadn't clearly seen or heard the fan in the moment, adding that her reaction came from "pure confusion" and "sarcasm," and was not meant to offend.
She also acknowledged that she "could have handled it better" and noted that she has since learned what a zaghrouta is.
The incident unfolded during a performance that marked Carpenter as one of this year's Coachella headliners, alongside Justin Bieber and Karol G.
Her Friday night set included appearances from Sam Elliott, Will Ferrell, and Susan Sarandon, who delivered a seven-minute monologue during one of Carpenter's costume changes, Variety reported.
Ahead of the festival, Carpenter described the show as a major undertaking in an interview with Perfect, published April 7.
"It's the most ambitious show I've ever done," she said. "It's probably the most time I've ever had to actually just sit down and talk about a show as I'm building it."
She added, "Most of the time, you're really quickly thrust into physical rehearsals, but this time around we started this process around seven months ago. So it's been a long journey. It will be very special."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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