Sabrina Carpenter apologized for her misunderstanding at Coachella. A large number of Zara Larsson fans apparently do not forgive her.
They scolded the Swedish pop star for supporting the American pop star at Weekend 2 of the festival.
I am not entirely convinced the backlash was not caused by bots, but it created quite the dialogue about music and the messaging of artists that perform. Most people were willing to move past the mishap.
Sabrina Carpenter caused controversy at Coachella.
The original incident took place last weekend. Carpenter performed on the main stage as the headliner on Friday night.
At some point during her set, as she settled in to the piano, a fan in the crowd let out a traditional cheer known as a “zaghrouta.” It is a high-pitched ululation used to express joy, celebration and honor. Rooted in Arab, North African and Middle Eastern culture, it is made by a rapid undulation of the tongue.
Carpenter misheard the zaghrouta as a “yodel.” The fan in the crowd explained that it was not a yodel, but did not explain its significance beyond “it’s my culture.” Carpenter again misunderstood and asked why/if yodeling is her culture. She added that she “didn’t like it.”
Sabrina Carpenter is being lauded as “very, very based” for mocking a woman’s Indian Yell during a concert.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) April 12, 2026
“Is that your culture? I don’t like it.” pic.twitter.com/JAi4XHj9cK
People were outraged by her ignorance. How could she not know about the zaghrouta cheer? To say she does not like it is a direct attack on the Arab people. It was racist.
In reality, it was a misunderstanding. Sabrina Carpenter did not appreciate how the person in the crowd interrupted her set. She did not know what it was or what it meant. She issued the following apology:
“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!
I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out”
Most people moved on. Zara Larsson fans apparently did not.
Zara Larsson fans were outraged by her support.
Larsson is one of the biggest pop stars in the world. She is not quite on Carpenter’s level in the United States, but she is still a very big deal in the U.S. She is even more popular in Europe— especially in her home country of Sweden. Her more than 11 million followers on Instagram speak for themselves.
I actually went to see Zara Larsson perform in Nashville earlier this month and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed her music and the show. I am definitely not the target audience for her music, and I was completely out of my element, but I had a great time. She is an impressive performer. I digress.
Larsson went to see Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella on Friday night for Weekend 2. The video she posted on TikTok to share her excitement was viewed more than 2.6 million times.
A majority of the comments expressed their disappointment. Larsson’s fans (or bots) did not want her to support Carpenter after the whole zaghrouta incident last weekend. Go take a look.
- “zara thats the worst time ever to say that 😭😭”
- “wtf?? zara???? must be joking”
- “Zara this is a joke right?”
- “I love you Zara but this is disappointing”
- “zara pls not sabrina”
- “tell her don’t forget this”
- “I liked you tho…”
- “this is not a good timing Zara”
- “girl… dont go there you’re way better than this”
- “What are you doing omg. Stop Zara”
Stuff like that. People were/are BIG MAD!
Fortunately, a good chunk of Larsson fans came to her defense. They told the haters to touch grass. And I’m not entirely sure the negative comments weren’t posted by bots in search of engagement anyway.
Either way, Zara Larsson went to see Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella and got to watch her friend perform ‘Like A Prayer’ with Madonna. That’s pretty iconic.
— @dieforyous (@jaesverses) April 18, 2026
Imagine if she missed that moment because she listened to the comment section and stayed home?