Sabrina Carpenter issues apology after Coachella moment sparks backlash: ‘Could have handled it better’
Pop star was called ‘culturally insensitive’ over her response to one fan’s Arabic celebration call

Annabel Nugent
Sunday 12 April 2026 07:42 EDT

Sabrina Carpenter has apologised for her reaction to a fan’s Arabic celebration call at Coachella, explaining her response was “pure confusion”.

The 26-year-old pop star was the first headliner of the 2026 California music festival, delivering an Old Hollywood-themed performance on Friday night (10 April).

Carpenter ignited some debate, however, when she responded to a fan in the audience who let out a Zaghrouta – an Arabic celebration call performed by women to express joy at events such as weddings, graduations, and births. It is described as a high-pitched, trilling sound.

Speaking into the mic, the “Espresso” singer said: “I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you’re doing? I don’t like it.”

The fan yelled back: “It’s my culture!” to which Carpenter replied: “That’s your culture, is yodelling?” The fan could then be heard explaining: “It’s a call of celebration.” Carpenter quipped in return: “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.”

Her response sparked backlash on social media, with some people condemning Carpenter’s words as culturally insensitive.

On Saturday (12 April), Carpenter addressed the controversy in a statement on social media.

“My apologies, I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly,” she wrote on X. “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.”

Video of the moment spread across social media, igniting a heated debate over how Carpenter handled the moment.

“The way Sabrina doubled down and decided to continue to be ignorant even after it was clarified yodelling is part of that person's culture says a lot about her,” one person wrote.

Others defended the singer, with another person writing: “She’s a pop star, not a f***ing anthropologist, leave Sabrina Carpenter alone.”

Carpenter’s headline set was filled with other notable moments, including cameos from stars such as Will Ferrell and Landman actor Sam Elliott.

A particular stand-out was Susan Sarandon. The 79-year-old delivered a nearly seven-minute dramatic monologue mid-set, during which she played an older version of the pop star ruminating on her life and success.

Carpenter’s headline set on Friday (10 April) was followed by Justin Bieber on Saturday (11 April), with the final headliner Karol G still to perform.

https://www.the-independent.com/arts-ent...56068.html

Spotify Announces CFO Transition March 31, 2024
12/07/2023
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE: SPOT) today announced its Chief Financial Officer, Paul Vogel will be leaving the company on March 31, 2024. The company has launched an external search for his successor. In the interim, Ben Kung, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, will take on expanded responsibilities to support the company’s realignment of its financial leadership team.

“Spotify has embarked on an evolution over the last two years to bring our spending more in line with market expectations while also funding the significant growth opportunities we continue to identify. I’ve talked a lot with Paul about the need to balance these two objectives carefully. Over time, we’ve come to the conclusion that Spotify is entering a new phase and needs a CFO with a different mix of experiences. As a result, we’ve decided to part ways, but I am very appreciative of the steady hand Paul has provided in supporting the expansion of our business through a global pandemic and unprecedented economic uncertainty,” shared Daniel Ek, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ek continued, “As we initiate the search for a new leader, we do so from a position of strength. I am enormously proud of the strides we’ve made as a company. We are on track to deliver against the goals we outlined at our Investor Day and our recent actions will help us accelerate these efforts. We look forward to tapping a strong financial leader as our next CFO and I will share more details soon.”

About Spotify Technology S.A.

Spotify’s platform revolutionized music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Today, more listeners than ever can discover, manage and enjoy over 100 million tracks, 5 million podcasts titles, and 350,000 audiobooks a la carte on Spotify. We are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with more than 574 million users, including 226 million subscribers across 184 markets.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about our business and operations. The Company’s forward-looking statements are mainly based on the Company’s current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect the Company’s businesses and operations. Although the Company believes that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties and are made in light of information currently available to the Company. Many important factors may adversely affect the Company’s results as indicated in forward-looking statements. A detailed discussion of these factors that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from the Company’s forward-looking statements is included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 2, 2023, as updated by subsequently filed reports with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this report.


Investor Relations:
Bryan Goldberg
Lauren Katzen
ir@spotify.com
investors.spotify.com

Public Relations:
Dustee Jenkins
press@spotify.com

Source: Spotify Technology S.A.

02/10/2026
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE: SPOT) has released its results for the fourth quarter of 2025 today. Please visit investors.spotify.com to view the Shareholder Deck and other supplemental materials.

As previously announced, the company will host a live question and answer session to discuss fourth quarter 2025 results at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Daniel Ek, our Founder and Executive Chairman, Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström, our Co-CEOs, and Christian Luiga, our Chief Financial Officer, will be on hand to answer questions. Questions can be submitted by going to slido.com and using the code #SpotifyEarningsQ425.

What: Spotify Fourth Quarter 2025 Financial Results Q&A Webcast
When: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Time: 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Q4 2025 Update: https://investors.spotify.com/
Webcast: https://app.webinar.net/AG8BokRm4kJ
Slido Event Code: #SpotifyEarningsQ425

A live webcast of the earnings call will be accessible at investors.spotify.com and a recording of the webcast will be available following the session.

About Spotify Technology S.A.

Spotify’s platform revolutionized music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Today, more listeners than ever can discover, manage and enjoy over 100 million tracks, 7 million podcast titles, and 500,000 audiobooks in select markets on Spotify. We are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with 751 million users, including 290 million subscribers across 184 markets.

Source: Spotify Technology S.A.


Investor Relations:
Bryan Goldberg
ir@spotify.com
investors.spotify.com

Public Relations:
Dustee Jenkins
press@spotify.com

Source: Spotify Technology S.A.

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Snoop Dogg’s Granddaughter Dead at 10 Months Old
The rapper’s daughter, Cori Broadus, shared the heartbreaking news.
Feb 1, 2026 9:40 AM EST
By Jane LaCroix

Snoop Dogg and his family are grieving the devastating loss of his granddaughter, Codi Dreaux, who has died at just 10 months old.

Snoop’s daughter, Cori Broadus, shared the heartbreaking news on Saturday, January 31, in an emotional Instagram Story. The black-and-white image showed Cori smiling while holding her baby, with text written across it that read, “Monday I lost the love of my life. My Codi,” alongside an angel wing emoji.

Cori’s fiancé, Wayne Deuce, also paid tribute to their daughter on the app, posting photos of himself holding Codi. “I been the saddest since u left me Codi Dreaux. But I know u at peace. Daddy will always love you,” he wrote. He later added simply, “My baby.”

Snoop (who’s real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.) sent love to his daughter shortly after she shared the news. He shared a photo of him and three of his children—Cori, and sons  Corde Broadus, 31, and Cordell Broadus, 28—with simple caption: “???”

Ye apologizes, says he's not 'an antisemite' in full-page newspaper ad
Portrait of Edward SegarraEdward Segarra
USA TODAY | Jan. 26, 2026Updated Jan. 27, 2026, 5:17 p.m. ET

Two years after Ye apologized to the Jewish community for his past remarks widely labeled as antisemitic, the disgraced hip-hop mogul is opening up about his controversial behavior in a new full-page ad.

The Grammy-winning rapper and fashion designer, who previously sparked major backlash for making a series of statements broadly considered antisemitic, addressed his rhetoric in an advertisement taken out in The Wall Street Journal on Monday, Jan. 26.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, addressed the open letter ad "to those I've hurt" and detailed a rocky mental health history, including a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, that allegedly fueled his behavior.

"My words as a leader in my community have global impact and influence. In my mania, I lost complete sight of that," Ye, 48, wrote. "As I find my new baseline and new center through an effective regime[n] of medication, therapy, exercise and clean living, I have newfound, much-needed clarity."



Ye was reportedly diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, a condition he opened up about on his 2018 self-titled album. The rapper later publicly disputed his diagnosis several times.

The Anti-Defamation League addresses Ye's apology
In a statement to USA TODAY on Jan. 26, a spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said that the rapper's "apology to the Jewish people is long overdue."

But the organization, which fights all forms of antisemitism and bias, added that it "doesn't automatically undo his long history of antisemitism – the antisemitic 'Heil Hitler' song he created, the hundreds of tweets, the swastikas and myriad Holocaust references – and all of the feelings of hurt and betrayal it caused."

"The truest apology would be for him to not engage in antisemitic behavior in the future. We wish him well on the road to recovery," the ADL statement concluded.

Ye says he's 'not a Nazi' after swastika T-shirt ad
In a December 2023 Instagram post, Ye apologized to the Jewish community for his antisemitic behavior, saying at the time that he "deeply regret[ted] any pain I may have caused."

However, Ye sparked backlash again in 2025 when the rapper lashed out against Jews in a hateful series of tweets, and took out a Super Bowl ad for a $20 T-shirt featuring a swastika.

"Looking back, I became detached from my true self," Ye wrote in his Wall Street Journal ad. "In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it."

Ye, who said he suffered a "four-month long manic episode" in early 2025, added that he is "deeply mortified by my actions in that state and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change."

"It does not excuse what I did though," Ye wrote. "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people."

Looking to the future, Ye said he's been "pouring my energy into positive, meaningful art: music, clothing, design and other new ideas to help the world."

"I'm not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness," Ye concluded. "I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home."

Ye says brain injury, bipolar disorder contributed to antisemitic remarks.

In 2022, Ye found himself at the center of a career-derailing scandal after making several remarks targeting the Jewish community on social media and in interviews.

In an X post, the outspoken rapper said he would soon go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," while an interview on NewsNation's "Cuomo" saw Ye echo popular antisemitic talking points about Jewish people controlling the entertainment industry and media.

Ye's offensive rhetoric earned swift condemnation across the industry. The Yeezy founder was temporarily suspended from X and Instagram and lost his lucrative apparel partnership with Adidas. In 2025, Ye was reportedly banned from entering Australia after releasing a song celebrating the German chancellor who oversaw the killing of millions of Jews.

In 2022, Ye found himself at the center of a career-derailing scandal after making several remarks targeting the Jewish community on social media and in interviews.

In an X post, the outspoken rapper said he would soon go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," while an interview on NewsNation's "Cuomo" saw Ye echo popular antisemitic talking points about Jewish people controlling the entertainment industry and media.

Ye's offensive rhetoric earned swift condemnation across the industry. The Yeezy founder was temporarily suspended from X and Instagram and lost his lucrative apparel partnership with Adidas. In 2025, Ye was reportedly banned from entering Australia after releasing a song celebrating the German chancellor who oversaw the killing of millions of Jews.

"I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem," Ye continued. "I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation and the exhaustion of trying to love someone who was, at times, unrecognizable."

Mental health experts previously told USA TODAY that while unmanaged mental health conditions can cause people to act in seemingly uncharacteristic ways, mental illness and bigotry are two distinct issues.

"If we assume that every person with mental health issues is racist, that does them a disservice and increases the stigma, which ultimately keeps people from getting help," clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior told USA TODAY.

"And if we assume that every person who spouts off bigoted beliefs has a mental illness, we are turning our backs on the cultural changes that we need to address in terms of implicit bias."

Contributing: Jenna Ryu, Anna Kaufman, Erin Jensen and David Oliver, USA TODAY

Record labels, Spotify sue pirate group Anna’s Archive over scraping and ‘brazen theft’ of millions of tracks
January 21, 2026By Murray Stassen

Last month, a “decentralized group of online piracy websites” called Anna’s Archive revealed that it had scraped approximately 86 million music files from Spotify and planned to release them via BitTorrent.

Now, the three major music companies, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and music streaming giant Spotify have filed a lawsuit against the shadow library operation.

The complaint describes Anna’s Archive as formerly known as the “Pirate Library Mirror” and accuses it of “brazen theft of millions of files containing nearly all of the world’s commercial sound recordings.”

The lawsuit, which appears to have been filed under seal on December 26, 2025, was made publicly available on January 16, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. You can read it in full here.

According to court documents, on January 2, the record labels obtained an emergency temporary restraining order, and on January 20, Judge Jed S. Rakoff issued a preliminary injunction after Anna’s Archive failed to appear at a hearing or file any response to the court.

The injunction, which you can read in full here, orders Anna’s Archive to cease all distribution of copyrighted works and prohibits them from hosting, linking to, or facilitating downloads of the scraped recordings.

The court also ordered domain registries, registrars, and hosting providers to disable access to Anna’s Archive domains including annas-archive.org, annas-archive.li, annas-archive.se, annas-archive.in, and annas-archive.pm.

The order specifically names Cloudflare, Public Interest Registry, and other service providers, requiring them to cease hosting services and preserve evidence that could identify those operating the sites.

The lawsuit notes that Anna’s Archive has illegally copied “metadata for about 256 million audio tracks (e.g., artist, album, and track name) and 86 million music files from Spotify, one of the world’s leading audio streaming services”.

The filing added: “Anna’s Archive has already released the metadata it unlawfully scraped, heralding it as, “the largest publicly available music metadata database.”

“Even more alarmingly,” it continued, “Anna’s Archive has threatened to imminently mass-release and freely distribute its pirated copies of the sound recording files to the public, without authorization from or compensation to the relevant rights holders”.

The complaint argues that “such widespread and illegal infringement would irreparably harm the music industry, including by materially interfering with the Record Company Plaintiffs’ right and ability to control their music catalog and to charge a fair market rate for their music, and by undermining the rights of the Record Company Plaintiffs’ licensees, like Spotify, to exploit their licenses and generate revenue from the Record Company Plaintiffs’ works.”

The labels and Spotify are bringing four causes of action: direct copyright infringement, breach of contract, violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

The record companies are seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work for copyright violations, or alternatively actual damages plus profits. All plaintiffs are also requesting $2,500 per act of technological circumvention under the DMCA, or actual damages in the alternative.

The complaint alleges that Anna’s Archive “circumvented Spotify technological measures by first surreptitiously accessing and downloading the music files at issue from Spotify using thousands of accounts, and then by circumventing the technological measures Spotify uses to protect audio files from unauthorized access.”

The operation allegedly employed automated scraping designed to mimic normal user behavior and avoid detection, violating Spotify’s Terms of Service in the process.

Anna’s Archive operates as an anonymous collective running shadow library websites at multiple domains. According to the filing, as “an organization dedicated to online piracy,” Anna’s Archive has stated it “need[s] to stay anonymous.” In its complaint, plaintiffs characterize the defendants as “a group of anonymous Internet pirates with no regard for the law.”

“Such widespread and illegal infringement would irreparably harm the music industry, including by materially interfering with the Record Company Plaintiffs’ right and ability to control their music catalog.”

Complaint filed by labels, Spotify

The lawsuit, which was first reported by Complex, notes that Anna’s Archive profits from its activities by soliciting “donations” of $2 to $100 per month using untraceable payment methods including gift cards and cryptocurrency. In exchange, users receive “fast downloads” and can avoid waitlists. The complaint describes these payments as paid memberships despite being labeled as donations.

In a statement to media outlets following the December announcement, Spotify said it has “identified and disabled the nefarious user accounts that engaged in unlawful scraping” and implemented new safeguards against such attacks. The company emphasized it has “stood with the artist community against piracy since day one” and is working with industry partners to protect creators’ rights.

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/r...6m-tracks/

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