Sabrina Carpenter issued a public apology on Saturday amid backlash after a video of her appearing to react negatively to traditional Arab cheers went viral. coachella music festival Friday night show.
The controversy began with a video of Carpenter yodeling in response to the call for the Arab celebration of Zaghrouta.
In response, the singer responded directly to the situation on X, saying: “Sorry, I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly.”
Read more: Sabrina Carpenter calls music in White House video ‘evil’, gets response
Backlash against cultural misunderstanding
During a performance at Coachella, Sabrina delivered a zagrutta response to a fan in the audience. She said: “I thought I heard someone yodeling. Is that what you were doing? I didn’t like it.”
Zaghrouta is a high-pitched cry that is common during celebrations in some areas. middle East and North Africa. This sound or expression is often used to express joy at weddings, festivals, and performances.
The fan defended Carpenter’s comments, saying: “This is my culture! This is a call for celebration.”
Several users on X accused the singer of being insensitive, with some posts describing the moment as “disappointing.” Users on X Wrote“As an Arab, I was disgusted, but then again, it was a stereotypical blonde girl, so we were surprised.”
Another person commented on X how they felt about the video and said she hoped Carpenter would address the issue. them Wrote”, “I’m a huge fan of Sabrina. When I went to check TikTok I saw one person saying she had done this and I didn’t believe it. When I went to watch the video and saw it, I was speechless. I want her to say it, right?
Read more: Sabrina Carpenter slams WH for using her song in ICE video: ‘Never…’
“Could have been handled better”
The initial clip drew criticism from some social media users, who interpreted Carpenter’s reaction as Arab cultural expression.
In her statement of apology to X, Carpenter emphasized that her reaction stemmed from confusion and limited visibility during the interaction, rather than any negative intent.
She wrote: “My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm, not malice. It could have been handled better! Now I know what a zagruta is!”
“I welcome all the cheers and yodeling from now on,” she added
