Arabic-language pop is making its way to Coachella for the first time ever, courtesy of Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna (Instagram). Coachella is the U.S.’ biggest annual music festival and sets the tone for every other event. However, this year, Coachella has been dragging its feet on announcing the 2023 lineup, but, finally, they pulled through and, well, it’s a big win for the Arab world. Pop star Elyanna will not only be the first Palestinian artist to perform at Coachella, but her performance will also be the first time that an artist sings in Arabic in the history of the festival.
Elyanna will join a stacked roster of big names and industry veterans including the likes of Bad Bunny, Frank Ocean, BlackPink, and Gorillaz. She is set to perform on April 15th and 22nd, and pre-sale tickets for the festival will go live tomorrow.
The Palestinian powerhouse kicked off her musical career by singing covers of popular songs on social media. Fast forward to 2020, and she’s making waves globally with the release of her self-titled EP in and her hit single ‘Ana Lahale’, which racked up 17 million Spotify streams and featured Lebanese-Canadian artist Massari. She also collaborated with Jordanian TikTok star Issam Alnajjar on the track ‘Hada Ghareeb’.
Her broad vocal range, sultry voice and distinct fusion of Latin and Middle Eastern sounds has helped Elyanna climb up the global music ranks, entrancing listeners around the world with a fresh, new sound. Blending traditional Palestinian instruments with elements of cumbia and reggaeton, Elyanna has even earned herself the nickname of the ‘Arab Rihanna’.
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