Sabrina Carpenter criticised after calling Arabic fan’s cultural cheer ‘weird’ during COACHELLA performance

Singer’s debut headline performance included viral crowd exchange that quickly spread across social media platforms

Sabrina Carpenter is facing online backlash following a brief exchange with a fan during her headline appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. The moment occurred during her set and quickly circulated across social media after the festival livestream captured the interaction.

Carpenter, who was performing as a main stage headliner for the first time at the festival, had transformed the stage into a stylised concept referred to by fans as Sabrinawood. During the performance she appeared to pause after hearing a loud vocal call from the audience and addressed the moment directly.

She told the crowd, “I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you are doing?”

An audience member responded from the crowd explaining that the sound was part of their cultural expression. Carpenter then replied, “I do not like it.”

When the fan continued to explain that it was connected to their culture, the singer responded, “That is your culture, yodelling? Is this Burning Man, what is going on? This is weird.”

The performance continued after the exchange, but clips of the moment quickly spread online as viewers reacted to the interaction. Some critics argued that the comment dismissed a cultural form of expression after the audience member attempted to explain its meaning. Others suggested the confusion may have come from the noisy festival environment and the singer reacting spontaneously during a live set.

Several viewers later pointed out that the sound heard in the crowd resembled ululation, a high pitched celebratory vocal call common across parts of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. In Arabic cultural contexts the expression is often referred to as a zaghrouta or zaghareet in plural form. The vocal technique involves rapidly moving the tongue while shifting pitch, creating a wavering sound that can carry across large gatherings.

Ululation is often heard during weddings, festivals and other celebrations, where it signals excitement, joy or emotional intensity. Because the sound involves quick shifts in pitch and vocal breaks, some listeners unfamiliar with the tradition may mistake it for other vocal styles such as yodelling.

Online responses to the exchange reflected a wide range of reactions. Some users criticised the remarks as dismissive after the fan referenced their culture. Others said the moment appeared to be a misunderstanding that occurred in the middle of a loud live performance.

Carpenter has not publicly addressed the incident since the performance.