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![Elianna](https://www.billboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Elyanna-billboard-arabia-2024-billboard-1548.jpg?w=1024)
Adam Kudemati
The weight of anticipation hung heavy in the air when Elianna stepped into a downtown Los Angeles warehouse for Billboard Arabia’s February cover interview and shoot. Elianna is characteristic of her rapid rise in the music industry, even though she was battling nerves just 24 hours before her performance in Dallas, the first performance of her debut North American tour. He exuded a quiet determination. With only her two EPs and a few singles, she has already accomplished the amazing feat of touring and selling out nearly every venue on her circuit. This is a testament to her burgeoning fan base, undeniable talent, and her unique sonic proposition that is driving the future of sound. Global pop music that is not limited by language.
With guidance from SALXCO’s artist management team and her family, Elianna struck a delicate balance between preparation and preservation as she immersed herself in a playlist of previously unreleased songs from her upcoming LP. Shuffle alongside songs by Spice, Sherine, and Doja Cat. The 22-year-old artist begins to find her own groove, but she does it silently. In the silence of the vocal rest prescribed before her tour, moments of introspection emerge. And in this moment of silence, we hear Elianna’s message to the world.
Elianna aims to bring Arabic pop music to the global stage, using her art to depict her homeland and culture beyond the lens of conflict. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, and moved to her LA with her immediate family at the age of 15, she aims to showcase the entire beauty of the culture: its layers, textures, multicolors, and history, and is a media sensation. It opposes dominant representations. Ghosts of war and destruction.
This is reflected in all of her songs and live performances. Whether expressed through her instrumentation, lyrics, or Arab-inspired fashion and accessories, we see Palestine not only through Elianna’s eyes, but through the eyes of her family. You can’t tell Elianna’s story without mentioning how each member of her family has played an important role in her career. Her sister Tali is her stylist, her brother Feras is her co-producer and video director, and her mother Abir contributes to her compositions. Meanwhile, her father, Amel, is the glue that holds the business together.
“I think it takes people who believe in you,” Elianna says. “So I just surround myself with people who believe in me…like my family, like my friends, like people who believed in me and gave their time to me.”
It’s not uniquely Arab to keep families close, but it’s very Arab to tell a story between generations in one song. You can hear this in many of Elianna’s songs, starting with her ambitious cover of Abdel Halim Hafez’s “Ahwak” (I Love You). This song has consistently permeated every generation since its release nearly 60 years ago. Elianna’s rendition of “Ahwak” is a captivating homage that breathes new life into the classic, with original lyrics set to an acoustic piano, and her reverent vocals feel like they’re from another era. Masu.
“I know it’s a cover,” she says. “But I felt like I brought it into my world. I think that was the point where I knew what to do next.”
With her 2019 debut original release “Oululee Leh” (Tell Me Why), Elianna revealed her musical potential to the world. The song, co-written by her mother Abir Margie, her brother Feras Margie, and songwriters Nasri Atweh, Sari Aboud and Martine Sinnott, explores the deep loneliness born of her loss and distance. There is. Its moving lyrics and haunting instrumentation evoke an intimacy that resonates with anyone who has ever felt like a stranger, shared through the chorus singing “Ouloulee lee” (Tell me why) I will give you solace in my experience.
When I asked her mother, Abeer, if the song was about losing a place or a person, she quickly answered, “Place.” But for Elianna, it has a double meaning, one of which is left for listeners to decipher on their own. Elianna’s songs, co-written with her mother and her brother, traverse the temporal spectrum, collapsing past, present, and future into a single note.
In 2020, Elianna released her debut album. The album is a self-titled collection of six songs, including “Ouloulee Leh,” “Ahwak,” and the viral hit “Ana Lehale” (I’m on my Own) feat. Massari, shows an artist trying to find his voice. Two years later, Elianna released a follow-up EP. Elianna 2, It was driven by hit songs like “Ala Bali,” which was also featured on Mo Amer’s Netflix show, and “Ghareeb Alay” feat. Balti has racked up over 50 million views on YouTube with her blend of Latin rhythms and relatable lyrics. Elianna released a steady stream of singles in 2023, including the release of “Sokkal”, an Arabic cover of a song by Zubi and Anatu, followed by “Mama Ae”, and continued to showcase her up-and-coming pop talent. continued to emphasize.
In a short period of time, the artist has managed to earn a coveted spot on Coachella’s April 2023 lineup, performing the first completely Arabic set in the festival’s history. In another milestone moment, Elianna’s heart-breaking original song “Olive Branch” (co-written with her brother Ferras) was performed live at the 2023 El Gouna Film Festival. The work spotlighted the artist’s unique ability to use music to raise awareness while celebrating the richness and beauty of Palestinian culture.
Asked about her role as an Arabian artist, Elianna declared that it is her immediate responsibility to spread her culture around the world. Questions like this often provoke polarizing reactions, but while she gracefully injects each of her songs with glimpses of the cultural richness of her heritage, she makes it approachable. method.
Like the intricate stitches of “Tartees” (Palestinian embroidery), Elianna’s music weaves a variety of influences into a harmonious whole. Each musical passage resembles revealing a hidden image, as if each thread holds a story waiting to be explored, resonating with the whole. We invite listeners around the world to find patterns that speak to them. Now on the verge of releasing her debut LP, Elianna continues to blend multiple cultural influences, whether it’s the Latin textures inherited from her Chilean grandmother or the power of her Palestinian grandfather’s pen. , continues to create a completely new pop sound.
“It’s really just taking things out of life that I love, and now I want to do that in a project that I can call a work of art,” says Elianna. “And this project is really experimental.” The lead single from her upcoming album, “Al Sham,” embodies various cultural elements of the region and shows her experimental spirit. . Inspired by the rhythms of electronic dabkeh, she creatively interprets the lyrics of Syrian singer Saba Fakhri’s classic song “Kamrat El Hob”. Elianna’s version dives into the song’s iconic line, “A life without love is like a river without water.” But somewhere in the music video you get the sense that Elianna isn’t a victim of unrequited love or anything else. Instead, she is a formidable force surrounded by her crew and images that evoke power, marking a pivotal moment for her debut North American tour.
“I, signboard We have some cover songs, a sold-out tour, and an album coming out,” Elianna says. “It seems insane to me. I’m doing something I’ve dreamed of doing my whole life.” She said that’s what she’s most looking forward to.
After postponing her debut tour due to the war in Gaza, Elianna has finally announced new dates for a 10-stop tour through the United States and Canada. Within 20 seconds of watching her performance, Elianna’s star potential was undeniable. It’s not just her voice, her message, and her rich influences, but the combination that will shape her artistry, her influence, and the future sound of Arabic pop.
This is a translation of the cover story originally published in Billboard Arabia.
Elianna
billboard arabia
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