Elian Marjieh (born January 22, 2002),[1] known professionally as Elyanna, is a Palestinian singer-songwriter of Chilean ancestry,[2] merging Arabic music with Latin rhythms to create an experimental Arab-pop sound that has captured a global audience. Born in Nazareth, her musical talents were nurtured by her family, with early influences including iconic figures like Julio Iglesias[3] and Sabah Fakhri,[4] Elyanna's career took a significant turn when she was discovered at age 15 by Grammy-winner Nasri Atweh.[5] She has released two EPs: Elyanna (2020) and Elyanna II (2022), and one studio album: Woledto (2024). She is currently signed to Universal Arabic Music. Her singles "Ana Lahale", "Ghareeb Alay", "Ala Bali", and "Mama Eh" have all charted on The Official Lebanese Top 20.[6] Elyanna is the first artist to sing in Arabic on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[7] She recently sold out The Wiltern in Los Angeles[8] and KOKO in London.[9]
Early life
Elian Marjieh[10] was born and raised in Nazareth[11] and is of Palestinian descent. Her paternal grandmother is of Chilean descent.[12] Her mother is a Palestinian poet, and her maternal grandfather is a Palestinian poet and singer who used to perform zajal at Palestinian weddings.[13] Her paternal grandmother is a pianist from Chile, who she frequently visited as a child.
Elyanna began singing at age seven[14] and started posting covers of songs on SoundCloud as a teenager while participating in singing and talent competitions at school.[11] She gained popularity in her community alongside her brother, Feras, who was by her side as a pianist. Feras is now Elyanna's pianist, producer, and creative director. Her sister, Tali, handles her styling.
In 2017, at the age of 15, she and her family moved to San Diego, California (eventually settling in Los Angeles) to further pursue her musical career after coming across Wassim "Sal" Slaiby on TV.[12] After arriving in the United States, she began posting covers on her Instagram, where she garnered a following of around 300,000 users,[13] and grabbing the attention of musician and producer Nasri Atweh. Nasri would later introduce Elyanna to Sal, and she would spend weekdays in San Diego while driving up to Los Angeles on weekends to work on music with Nasri and Massari.
Career
Elyanna draws inspiration from jazz and blues alongside many household names for families in the Middle East: Dalida, Fairuz, Sabah Fakhri, Abd El Halim Hafez. In 2018, Elyanna contacted singer and producer, Nasri, who took an interest and connected her to his manager, Wassim Slaiby.[12] She was signed to Slaiby's management company, SALXCO, soon after the two met.[11] She was then mentored by Nasri and fellow singer and producer, Massari.[14] One of her first singles, "Ana Lahale," featured guest vocals from Massari.[15] That track was on her debut self-titled EP released in February 2020 via ElMar Music, an Empire Distribution imprint.[13] In April 2021, Elyanna was announced as one of the first signees of the newly-formed imprint, Universal Arabic Music (UAM), which Slaiby founded in collaboration with Republic Records and the Universal Music Group.[16]
In 2021, she performed alongside Alnajjar at his concert in Amman, Jordan the following month.[17] In January 2022, she collaborated with Tunisian artist, Balti, on the track "Ghareeb Alay." In March 2022, she released her second EP, Elyanna II, via UAM. The collection features the single "Al Kawn Janni Maak" (an Arabic version of "La Vie en rose"). Its music video was directed by Caroline "Chuck" Grant, the sister of Lana Del Rey, who ultimately got involved in the project by styling Elyanna.[15] In 2023, the singer made history as the first artist to perform a set entirely in Arabic at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[18]
That the same year, her song "Ala Bali" was featured on Netflix comedy-drama series Mo.[19] She also performed at the El Gouna Film Festival and paid tribute to her homeland of Palestine with her single "Olive Branch (غصن زيتون)".[20] In 2024, Elyanna sold out her debut North American tour and ended it with the announcement of her debut studio album, Woledto, released on April 12 alongside a music video for "Ganeni".[21]
Boutayna Chokrane praised the record on her review for Pitchfork, stating that it "plays with Arab pop, R&B, EDM, and jazz to express the nuances of love, loss, and longing".[22] She was positive of the "subtle yet poignant references to identity, displacement, and cultural resilience" as well, as those "underscore [Elyanna's] sorrow and ferocity".[22] Moreover, the singer has been featured on the covers of numerous magazines worldwide, including Billboard Arabia,[23]Vogue Arabia,[24]Rolling Stone,[25]Cosmopolitan ME[26] and GQ.[27] On 29 June 2024, she was invited by British rock band Coldplay to perform the songs "We Pray" and "Arabesque" at the Glastonbury Festival.[28] On July 22, the singer officially announced the Woledto Tour, with concerts in North America and Europe between October and December 2024.[29] Elyanna performed alongside Coldplay for Saturday Night Live on 5 October 2024.[30]
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