Elyanna on Palestinian identity, Coldplay and the manifestation

“When you show your identity, you shine all the time,” says Eliana.

The 22-year-old Palestinian-Chilean singer already has millions of views on YouTube and a collaboration with Coldplay behind her.

This year she is also doing her first European tour and told BBC Newsbeat that she wants to spread the message of her home “through music and art”.

Eliana was born in Nazareth, an Arab city in northern Israel.

Israeli Arabs are descended from Palestinians who became citizens of Israel when the state was established in 1948, many of whom continue to self-identify as Palestinians.

“I feel like a young Palestinian artist, if I have a voice and a platform, (I can) talk about where I come from,” Eliana says.

“And to talk of the beautiful things at home, which are so necessary.”

Eliana and her family moved from Nazareth to California in 2017, but she still feels a strong connection to Palestine.

In April 2023 she made Coachella history by becoming the first person to sing an entire set in Arabic at the Californian music festival.

Months later, on October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel.

Israel’s massive military offensive against it is still ongoing.

Last year, Eliana told fans she was “praying” for Gaza and chose to do so postponed his tour last year in solidarity with the people affected by Israel’s military offensive.

One of her songs, Olive Branch, written with her brother and mother, includes nods to the people of Palestine, and she says the song is dedicated to them.

“They’ve been through so much for so long,” she says.

While some celebrities have faced criticism for not speaking out about events in the Middle East, Eliana says that’s not the case for her.

“I don’t feel there’s any pressure because I’m very proud of where I come from, who I am and my identity,” she told Newsbeat after a gig in Michigan last month.

“And I want other people my age, young people and artists in general, I want them to be proud of where they come from.

“I feel like that’s my mission as an artist. It gives me so much purpose.

“I always believe in speaking your mind and I believe that everyone should feel free to express what they feel.”

Eliana sings in Arabic, with one review from her Woledto album, which states that she “plays with Arabic pop, R&B, EDM and jazz to express the nuances of love, loss and longing”.

And this year she teamed up with Coldplay, along with Burna Boy, Little Simz and Tini, during the their Glastonbury headline.

Collaborating with Coldplay is a teenage dream come true for Elyanna, who is now approaching 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

“I saw their show (when) I was 15 years old in San Diego with my siblings and I was so inspired for about a week.

“And I remember saying to my sister, ‘I feel like I’m going to play with them one day.’

“I can’t believe it’s true,” she says.

Working with the group was for her, as a young artist, “a perfect inspiration and a perfect environment to be in”.

“They’re legends and they’re so sweet and humble in person, which makes it even more perfect.

“They’re about beautiful things, and I feel like they really inspired me,” she says.

Now that her tour has started again, she says the delay has taught her “to be patient.”

“It’s a process and you just have to learn how to trust the process.”

And being on stage, her aim now is to ‘inspire people’ in the same way that artists such as Amy Winehouse, Freddie Mercury and legendary Middle Eastern singer Fairuz have been.

“As a little girl, I always wanted to feel inspired by artists, especially when they were performing live,” she says.

“So I feel like I have to give that to other people, to inspire them, to give them hope.

“I have so many people who have really inspired me in their own way, and I want to do the same for other people.”

Eliana says she loves playing in the UK and seeing fellow Arabs at her concerts.

“I feel like there are so many Arabs who want to introduce their friends (to) their culture,” she says.

“I’m always so surprised and inspired that they’re all here to listen to Arabic music,” she says.

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