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Sabrina Carpenter made her long-awaited headlining debut at Coachella on Friday night, transforming the mainstage into “Sabrinawood”. But amid what was a career-defining moment, a critical conversation has been ignited online.
During a quieter moment in her set, a sound rose from the crowd – a high-pitched wavering trill that Sabrina didn’t recognise.
What she labelled as “yodelling” was actually a traditional zaghrouta, a celebratory ululation common across the Middle East and North Africa.
“Is that what you’re doing?” Sabrina said into the microphone, shaking her head. “I don’t like it.”
When a festival-goer called out that it was part of their culture, Sabrina pressed back: “That’s your culture… yodelling?” and went on to describe the sound as “weird,” comparing the atmosphere to Burning Man in front of a reported 100,000-strong audience.
What she heard is a zaghrouta – a traditional ululation rooted in Arab and North African culture, often heard at weddings, celebrations and moments of communal joy.
The zaghrouta dates back thousands of years and is one of the oldest vocal traditions in the world, and one that carries deep significance across the Middle East. The action of the zaghrouta itself is created by a rapid back-and-forth movement of the tongue while emitting a sustained high note. The result is a distinct sound which can vary in pitch and duration.
@kiwolared She’s weird #fyp #coachella #sabrinacarpenter ♬ original sound – kiwola._
Clips of the exchange at Sabrina’s Coachella set rapidly circulated online with critics labelling the moment as “ignorant”, “rude” and “disrespectful” and arguably dismissive of cultural expression, particularly given the star continued to describe the sound as “weird” even after the festival-goer had explained it was part of her culture.
However, while there has been criticism online, others acknowledged the 26-year-old may have never encountered the sound before.
“She clearly has never heard a zaghrouta before,” one person said on a viral clip. “Did she really need to say ‘weird’? No, but I’m Arab, and it isn’t that deep.”
Regardless, the moment has nonetheless struck a nerve and begs the question of a wider cultural conversation, with it being a moment underscoring, perhaps, a gap between global pop stardom and genuine cultural literacy.
