Zaghroutas, which are used across the Middle East and in parts of Africa, are traditionally performed by women.

After finishing her hit song Please Please Please, Carpenter sat down at the keyboard. As the crowd quieted down, a fan continued to chant loudly. The singer paused between songs and addressed her.

I don’t like it,” the pop singer had said from the festival stage, after mistaking a celebratory Middle Eastern cry as a form ...