Elyanna

One Liner:  Arabic pop that is otherwise pretty generic

Wikipedia Genre:  alternative pop, Arabic pop, Arabic traditional music, urban

Home: L.A. (via Palestine)

Poster Position: 12
Both Weekends.
Saturday at 4:20.

Tito's Tent.

Thoughts:  Elian Marjieh is a Palestinian-Chilean singer originally from Nazareth.  Her music sort of sounds like a Shakira/Rihanna sort of Carribean pop thing smashed up with Arabic pop that I only really have experience with because of the Bend it Like Beckham soundtrack, but then the lyrics are in Arabic?  A little English here and there.  Wikipedia says she was the first artist to sing in Arabic on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, so I guess that is right!  Her brother is her pianist, producer, and creative director, while her sister is her stylist.  Keep it in the family!  She and her crew moved to San Diego and then L.A. when she was fifteen, to pursue her musical dreams, which seems to be working out.

Two EPs, 2020's Elyanna and 2022's Elyanna 2 (original ass names!) and then one album with 2024's WOLEDTO.  Not just a ton of stream count, but she has one that has gotten up over ten million.  "Ghareeb Alay" has 10.4 million streams.

Apparently translates to "strange to me," although I have no clue what the lyrics overall have to do with anything.  She sure is purty though.  That track was from her second EP.  The top track from the new album is "Callin' U (Tamally Maak)" with 4.1 million streams.

Little English in there to mix it up!  Super generic lyrics though!  And then back to Arabic so that I don't know what is happening.  I don't expect that I would go watch this thing at all.  I just honestly hope that there isn't any sort of stupid protest or freakout over her being Palestinian and on the stage.  That would be annoying.