Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna has been making waves with her experimental Arab-Latin pop sound, drawing rapturous crowds at major festivals. At New York's Governors Ball in June, the 22-year-old performed almost entirely in Arabic, captivating a crowd waving Palestinian flags. Later that month, she joined Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury to perform their track Arabesque.
Born Elian Marjieh and raised in Nazareth, Elyanna left home at 15 to pursue music. Her influences are diverse: her mother is a Palestinian poet, her grandfather performed Lebanese folk poetry at weddings, and her paternal grandmother was a pianist in Chile. She cites Julio Iglesias, George Wassouf, Etta James, and Umm Kulthum among her inspirations.
Elyanna has made history as the first Arabic-language performer at Coachella (2023) and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2024), where she wore a keffiyeh. She is determined to bring Arabic music to English-speaking audiences. 'A lot of people doubted, because they don't understand it,' she told the Guardian. 'It's time for our culture to push it in a way where it's claimed.'
Her debut album 'Woledto' (I Am Born) features tracks like 'Ganeni' and 'Al Sham', an ode to Cheikha Rimitti. The album is a family affair: her brother Feras is creative director and producer, her mother co-writes, and her sister Tali styles her. 'We design from scratch and we take our time,' she said.
