Biography
Elyanna crafts dance-pop from her Los Angeles base, her voice marked by both an airy texture and agile range as she fuses Arabic and Latin elements into polished arrangements. The 2020 single "Ana Lahale" spread rapidly online, prompting her early signing to the Universal Arabic Music imprint, which issued her sophomore EP, Elyanna II, in 2022. Her first full-length album, WOLEDTO, arrived in 2024.
Born Elian Marjieh in Nazareth in 2002, she grew up in an artistic household: her mother works as a Palestinian poet, her maternal grandfather is both poet and singer, and her paternal grandmother plays piano in Chile. Her brother Feras performs on piano as well. Elyanna began singing near age seven, entered school talent contests, and by her mid-teens was sharing a cappella renditions of songs by Julia Michaels and Tones and I on social platforms. In 2017, at age fifteen, she moved with her family to San Diego, California. As her cover videos accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers, Grammy-winning musician and producer Nasri Atweh of Magic! took notice, connecting her with Wassim "Sal" Slaiby, who added her to the roster of his management firm co-founded by the Weeknd. She soon began weekend sessions in Los Angeles alongside Atweh and Lebanon-born vocalist and producer Massari, shaping a pop style that merged Arabic traditions with Latin rhythms; her family relocated to Los Angeles to support the developing career.
After several 2019 singles, her self-titled debut EP came out on El Mar Music in February 2020 and featured the buoyant dance-pop track "Ana Lahale" with Massari. The song’s viral success led to her joining Universal Arabic Music, the imprint Slaiby established in 2021. During the following year she performed in Jordan, joined Tunisian artist Balti on "Ghareeb Alay," and issued an Arabic adaptation of "La Vie en Rose" titled "Al Kawn Janni Maak," both of which appeared on the UAM release Elyanna II in March 2022.
While preparing her debut album, R3hab and Hijazi supplied remixes of her material, and in 2023 she became the first performer to deliver a fully Arabic-language set at the Coachella festival. Early 2024 brought a North American tour, a feature on Sevdaliza’s single "Good Torture," and the orchestrated piano ballad "Olive Branch (Ghosn Zeytoun)," offered as a tribute to Palestine. That April she released WOLEDTO, recorded with Massari and Atweh; her mother Abeer co-wrote most tracks, while Feras contributed piano, served as creative director, and acted as executive producer. Two months later she joined Coldplay for two songs during their Glastonbury Festival appearance, then launched her own world tour later in 2024.
Born Elian Marjieh in Nazareth in 2002, she grew up in an artistic household: her mother works as a Palestinian poet, her maternal grandfather is both poet and singer, and her paternal grandmother plays piano in Chile. Her brother Feras performs on piano as well. Elyanna began singing near age seven, entered school talent contests, and by her mid-teens was sharing a cappella renditions of songs by Julia Michaels and Tones and I on social platforms. In 2017, at age fifteen, she moved with her family to San Diego, California. As her cover videos accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers, Grammy-winning musician and producer Nasri Atweh of Magic! took notice, connecting her with Wassim "Sal" Slaiby, who added her to the roster of his management firm co-founded by the Weeknd. She soon began weekend sessions in Los Angeles alongside Atweh and Lebanon-born vocalist and producer Massari, shaping a pop style that merged Arabic traditions with Latin rhythms; her family relocated to Los Angeles to support the developing career.
After several 2019 singles, her self-titled debut EP came out on El Mar Music in February 2020 and featured the buoyant dance-pop track "Ana Lahale" with Massari. The song’s viral success led to her joining Universal Arabic Music, the imprint Slaiby established in 2021. During the following year she performed in Jordan, joined Tunisian artist Balti on "Ghareeb Alay," and issued an Arabic adaptation of "La Vie en Rose" titled "Al Kawn Janni Maak," both of which appeared on the UAM release Elyanna II in March 2022.
While preparing her debut album, R3hab and Hijazi supplied remixes of her material, and in 2023 she became the first performer to deliver a fully Arabic-language set at the Coachella festival. Early 2024 brought a North American tour, a feature on Sevdaliza’s single "Good Torture," and the orchestrated piano ballad "Olive Branch (Ghosn Zeytoun)," offered as a tribute to Palestine. That April she released WOLEDTO, recorded with Massari and Atweh; her mother Abeer co-wrote most tracks, while Feras contributed piano, served as creative director, and acted as executive producer. Two months later she joined Coldplay for two songs during their Glastonbury Festival appearance, then launched her own world tour later in 2024.
Albums
Singles
