Coldplay in UAE: Who is Elyanna? Palestinian singer to open British band's concerts in Abu Dhabi

As the UAE braces for another cool winter, the opening fortnight of January 2025 is going to be much cooler in more ways than one. It will be extra special for music fans in the country with them able to chill out with iconic rock band Coldplay. They will be spoilt for choice with not one or two but four scintillating performances by the British line-up. And adding a Middle Eastern touch to the quartet of concerts at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi will be Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna.

Elyanna, who will turn 23 in January, will be the support act across the four shows in January, 9, 11, 12 and 14 in the UAE capital, as part of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour.

It is not the first time that Elyanna, who has mesmerised audiences around the world with her fine blend of Arabic music with Latin American rhythms, will share the stage with Coldplay.

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Elyanna, who comes from a family with deep roots in arts and music, was invited by the legendary band to perform with them at the famous Glastonbury Festival in England in June this year. She lent her soothing voice to the song We Pray, Coldplay’s second single from their upcoming album Moon Music, as well as Arabesque, a hit from the band’s 2019 album Everyday Life.

We Pray, which released on August 23, also featured an ensemble of illustrious artists such as British rap star Little Simz, Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Argentine singer Tini.

Who is Elyanna?

Elyanna was born in Nazareth and her mother is a poet. Her maternal grandfather is a poet and singer, while her paternal grandmother is a Chilean pianist.

Elyanna, who started singing at the age of seven, participated in competitions when in school and began posting song covers on SoundCloud. She was noticed through the cover songs of Amy Winehouse and Rihanna, which she performed with her sibling Feras, who plays the piano.

To further extend her fledging musical career, Elyanna and her family relocated to the United States to San Diego California. After setting foot in the United States, Elyanna continued posting cover songs on Instagram where she found a massive fan following of 300,000 subscribers. That pitchforked Elyanna into the limelight with Canadian musician, singer songwriter and producer Nasri Atweh taking notice of her.

Impressed by her music, Nasri introduced her to noted talent manager and record executive Lebanese-Canadian Wassim Sal Slaiby, who took her under his wings. Elyanna collaborated with Lebanese-Canadian singer and songwriter Sari Abboud, better known as Massari. Her career progression gathered impetus when Slaiby signed her onto Universal Arabic Music and Elyanna eventually set base in Los Angeles.

Making history

Last year, Elyanna made history by become the first Palestinian to perform at the iconic Coachella music festival, and the first to perform a full set in Arabic.

Her family is totally invested in her with Elyanna's brother Feras continuing to play the piano while also being her creative director and producer. Elyanna’s mother is her co-writer, while her sister Tali is her stylist.

Elyanna’s early music influences were the late Syrian singer Sabah Al Fakhri and Spanish singer and songwriter Julio Iglesias.

• 'I'll fly from Bahrain': Coldplay's UAE concert is 'dream come true' for Middle East fans

• Entertainment
• Abu Dhabi