Coachella 2023: Palestinian vocalist Elyanna breaks ground for Arabic artists

In a trailblazing performance Saturday, Palestinian-Chilean vocalist Elyanna set cultural milestones and firmly established herself as one of the brightest up-and-coming stars at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Over 45 minutes at the Gobi Stage, she became the first Palestinian to perform at Coachella and the first-ever artist to perform a set in Arabic at the festival.

After rocking out to “Yalla Ya” in a flowy white dress and shin-high black boots, she stopped to let the groundbreaking moment soak in with her two backup dancers and band.

“I’m so honored to be on this stage,” she said. “This is a great moment for our culture, and for the first time at Coachella we’re going to be hearing Arabic.”

She celebrated the occasion with a debut of an unreleased single, “Janene Orrr,” which translates to “Drive Me Crazy.”

At just 21 years of age, Elyanna — born Elian Marjieh into a musical family in Nazareth —  is already a big name in the Arab-American music world. She’s been living in California for several years.

With dance moves like Shakira and a voice modeled after Adele, she has all the tools to become a global sensation.

Her versatility was on full display Saturday as she crooned an Arabic cover of "La Vie en Rose" titled “Al Kawn Janni Mawk," rapped over her Egyptian pop hit “Ana Lahale” and hair-tossed and body-rolled her way through an energetic set.

As she sang tracks from her two EPs, “Elyanna” and “Elyanna II,” she magnetically pulled new fans from across the Empire Polo grounds into the Gobi Tent. Whereas the early afternoon crowd started small with a few rows of die-hard fans singing along in Arabic, her set ended with new fans saying, “I definitely need to follow her.”

Her brother, who she credits with discovering her after hearing her casually sing an Adele song one day, was right by her side Saturday, accompanying her on keyboard throughout.

Together, they performed a cover of the classic Egyptian ballad “Awhak,” a song she said the two of them “used to sing growing up.”

At once, Elyanna’s Coachella debut captured a huge milestone in her career, a touching family moment and a big statement for Palestinians.

After an engaging call and response with the audience during her last song, “Ghareeb Alay," she drew huge applause from the audience when she told them, "I love you."

Her loyal fans cheered again as she waved a Palestinian keffiyeh, a black and white scarf symbolic for Palestinian nationalism, and then walked offstage.

Jonathan Horwitz covers education for The Desert Sun. Reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2023: Vocalist Elyanna breaks ground for Arabic artists