Rina Sawayama Calls Out Sabrina Carpenter’s 'SNL' Performance
“If we are clearly referencing a culture, please can you do so with the research, respect and care it deserves.”
Sabrina Carpenter returned to host Saturday Night Live last weekend, performing tracks from her latest album, Man’s Best Friend; however, one particular performance was met with criticism online. Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama has since come forward to call out cultural insensitivities she noticed during Carpenter’s performance.
For the episode of NBC’s sketch series, the “Espresso” singer performed two numbers, “Manchild” and “Nobody’s Son” from her new album. For the latter, the singer and her backup dancers were dressed in karate gis and sneakers while dancing on mats. Commenting on this, Sawayama took to her Instagram story to share, “Big love to Sabrina, but fellow artists’ creative teams… if we are clearly referencing a culture, please can you do so with the research, respect and care it deserves. Shoes on tatami is jail.” In Japanese culture, wearing shoes on tatami mats is considered disrespectful, an oversight on the artist’s part.
That wasn’t the only part of Carpenter’s performance that was met with criticism. The artist also came under fire because she sang an unscensored version of “Nobody’s Son,” which aired live and included two swear words. The singer faced mixed reviews, with one person taking to social media to share, “The first one, I was like, ‘Did I just hear what I think I did? Surely not.’ Then the second one, I was like Oh! I mean, it is past 1 AM ET, but still, you don’t expect that on #SNL.”
Carpenter has not yet responded to the comments.
For more news, Lily Allen just announced her first album after seven years.
