{"id":2104586,"date":"2025-10-21T00:56:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T00:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2104586"},"modified":"2025-10-21T00:56:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T00:56:19","slug":"rina-sawayama-reacts-to-sabrina-carpenters-snl-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/rina-sawayama-reacts-to-sabrina-carpenters-snl-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Rina Sawayama Reacts To Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘SNL’ Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rina Sawayama responded to Sabrina Carpenter<\/a>\u2019s much-buzzed-about return to \u201cSaturday Night Live<\/a>\u201d this weekend by offering some words of constructive criticism. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During her \u201cSNL<\/a>\u201d appearance Saturday, Carpenter drew from Japanese culture while performing the song \u201cNobody\u2019s Son<\/a>,\u201d off her latest album, \u201cMan\u2019s Best Friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The two-time Grammy winner wore a sequined kimono-esque top and was flanked by a troupe of dancers, who executed martial arts-like moves. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sawayama, who is of Japanese and of British descent, shared her reaction<\/a> to the performance Sunday on her Instagram stories. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBig 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,\u201d wrote the singer, who made her big screen acting debut in 2023\u2019s \u201cJohn Wick: Chapter 4.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rina Sawayama (left) responded to Sabrina Carpenter’s “SNL” performance this weekend by offering some words of constructive criticism.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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She also pointed out one very specific detail that wasn\u2019t culturally accurate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cShoes on tatami is jail,\u201d she added, referring to the sneakers worn by Carpenter\u2019s dancers as they strutted across traditional Japanese floor mats. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In accordance with Japanese etiquette<\/a>, shoes and slippers are taken off<\/a> before stepping onto tatami mats, which are traditionally constructed out of rice straw and often appear in spaces set aside for praying and other cultural rituals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Carpenter has yet to respond to Sawayama\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Asian theming of \u201cNobody\u2019s Son,\u201d however, wasn\u2019t the only aspect of her performance to make headlines, as she dropped two F-bombs<\/a> after taking the \u201cSNL\u201d stage that made it past NBC\u2019s censors before the show aired on the East Coast. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Carpenter<\/picture><\/div>\n
Carpenter performed “Nobody’s Son” flanked by dancers executing martial arts-style moves.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.<\/p>\n

Thank you again for your support along the way. We\u2019re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Over the years, pop stars like Madonna<\/a> and Katy Perry<\/a> have also been called out after referencing Japanese fashion and other traditions in their music videos and performances. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Perhaps the most egregious example is No Doubt\u2019s Gwen Stefani<\/a>, who was accused of cultural appropriation<\/a> after adapting the avant garde styles and attitude of Tokyo\u2019s Harajuku district for her 2004 solo album, \u201cLove. Angel. Music. Baby.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When Stefani was asked by Allure<\/a> in 2023 if she\u2019d learned anything from her Harajuku days, the singer \u2015 who is Italian American and Irish American \u2015 stirred controversy by asserting \u201ctwice that she was Japanese,\u201d according to the outlet<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n