Sabrina Carpenter apologizes after mistaking cultural chant for yodeling at Coachella

Washington [US], April 12 : Sabrina Carpenter has apologised after a moment from her 2026 Coachella performance led to criticism online.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the singer said she misunderstood a celebratory Arabic chant called Zaghrouta during her headline set and admitted she could have handled the situation better.

The issue began during Carpenter's Friday night performance when a fan in the crowd made the traditional chant. In a now-viral clip, Carpenter appeared confused and reacted on stage, asking if someone was yodeling.

The exchange quickly spread online, with many social media users saying the cultural moment had been misunderstood.

Responding to the backlash, Carpenter shared a message on X and offered a public apology. Admitting her reaction came from "pure confusion" and saying there was no bad intent behind it, she wrote, "my apologies i didn't see this person with my eyes and couldn't hear clearly. my reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. could have handled it better! now i know what a Zaghrouta is!"

She ended her note on a lighter tone, saying she now welcomes both cheers and yodels in the future. Carpenter added, "I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the viral clip showed Carpenter sitting at the piano when she paused after hearing the chant from the audience. She told the crowd, "I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you're doing? I don't like it."

A fan then replied from the audience, "It's my culture." Carpenter responded, "That's your culture, is yodeling?" The attendee then explained, "It's a call of celebration."

Still unsure about what was happening in the moment, Carpenter said on stage, "Is this Burning Man? What's going on? This is weird."

The moment became one of the biggest talking points from the opening night of Coachella, where Carpenter performed as the festival's first headliner of 2026.

Apart from the controversy, her set also included several surprise appearances from stars like Sam Elliott, Susan Sarandon, and Will Ferrell. She also performed new songs from her latest album Man's Best Friend, including We Almost Broke Up Last Night and When Did You Get Hot? for the first time.

Carpenter is set to return to the Coachella stage next Friday, April 17, for her second headline performance.

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