Rina Sawayama took issue with Sabrina Carpenter’s performance of “Nobody’s Son” on Saturday Night Live.
The Japanese-British singer-songwriter took to her Instagram Story on Sunday to critique Carpenter’s use of a martial arts theme for the song.
“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,” Sawayama wrote.
“Shoes on tatami is jail,” she added, alongside a crying emoji.
For her performance, Sabrina was outfitted in a short white robe and black belt as a dress—mirroring a dogi, the customary white top and bottoms worn in martial arts, and an obi, a belt, which denotes rank. The background dancers donned a traditional version of the uniform, but wore shoes as they acted out a fight sequence.
According to Billboard, wearing shoes on tatami—the Japanese floor mat—goes against Japanese etiquette. Carpenter also wore shoes, but never stood on the tatami flooring.
Over the weekend, Carpenter made her hosting debut on SNL and performed her hit songs “Nobody’s Son” and “Manchild.” Elsewhere in her appearance, she joked about the controversy regarding her Man’s Best Friend album art and did a parody of Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.”
Man’s Best Friend arrived in August, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Album cuts “Manchild” peaked at No. 1 and “Nobody’s Son,” at No. 12.