DUBAI: Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna is gearing up to head to Saudi Arabia for the first time to perform at Riyadh’s awaited music festival SOUNDSTORM and be a guest speaker at MDLBEAST’s music conference XP Music Futures.
SOUNDSTORM will take place from Dec. 1-3 and XP Music Futures will be held from Nov. 28-30.
The Los Angeles-based music sensation, who has been taking the music industry by storm, will host a one-on-one session, called “Pro Xperience,” at XP Music Futures to discuss her professional career.
“I’m thrilled to be taking part in XP Music Futures in Riyadh,” the 20-year-old singer told Arab News. “I’m eager to see what the XP team and MDLBEAST have been putting together to really help grow the Saudi Arabian music scene, and to talk about my upcoming performance in Saudi,” she added.
The “Ghareeb Alay” singer is preparing to release her first album soon.
During the talk, she will discuss her journey in launching the album, which involved “recording in the studio, trying new approaches, working with a team, and other elements like fashion and styling,” she said.
“It will reveal other sides of Elyanna that have never been seen before,” she teased. But with that comes a lot of hardship that the star said has taught her a lot as an artist.
“A lot of experience came with creating my album as a young up-and-coming artist, so to be able to express that in an industry event such as XP and connect with an audience passionate to learn is incredible,” she said.
Elyanna’s music is a mix of Arabic and Western beats, something that the singer ascribes to her multinational upbringing.
“Growing up, I was inspired by a lot of genres such as jazz; it was all I would sing as a young girl,” she said. “When I moved to the US, I felt an immediate connection with Arabic music and my culture. It gave me another perspective on the type of music I wanted to create.”
Elyanna has always believed in working hard as well as constantly seeking growth and knowledge.
“Each of my projects have a different source of inspiration and I still have a lot to achieve and learn from,” she said. “I work on always improving my music from lyrics to melody and production but also the overall purpose behind my music.
“The hardest thing in my career, which also happens to be the most enjoyable, is being myself,” she added. “There are no rules when it comes to that. I am always revealing my truest self through my music.”
Elyanna has worked with international artists like Canadian Lebanese singer Massari, and has met with A-list stars like Lana Del Ray, Cheb Khaled and Nancy Ajram.
“Each one of these artists has had a huge influence on my career and my style of music. I feel so lucky that I got the chance to personally meet and learn from them,” she said.
Her dream collaboration is with The Weeknd. “I’ve always been a huge fan of his music and his vision. He’s a very unique artist and I really connect with his music,” she said.
Elyanna’s talent was first discovered by her brother, Feras, when he heard her sing an Adele track.
“He believed in my talent from that day on,” she said. “He would always encourage me to sing at school and to participate in different talent shows. We would shoot album covers and post them to social media, just like professional artists did.”
When she moved to the US aged 15, Elyanna was first offered a professional opportunity through Palestinian Canadian producer and writer Nasri Atweh.
“He discovered me. He believed in my talent and invited me to his studio to sing in Arabic,” she said. “He then introduced me to Massari, the international artist who had a huge influence on my career, as an adviser and a huge supporter.”
The young star’s career then kicked off and her songs have garnered the likes of thousands of fans around the world.
“I think my detail-oriented, hardworking personality has been the secret to my success … with a bit of luck, of course,” she told Arab News.