Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna becomes first artist to perform full set in Arabic at Coachella

Elyanna hit the Gobi Tent stage during the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this weekend. (Getty Images)
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Updated 17 April 2023
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Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna becomes first artist to perform full set in Arabic at Coachella

DUBAI: Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna has become the first Palestinian artist to perform at Coachella, the popular music festival that is held annually in Indio, California.  She also set a precedent as the first Arabic-language artist to perform at the event.

Elyanna, who is famous for her songs “Ghareeb Alay,” “Ala Bali” and “Ana Lahale,” hit the Gobi Tent during the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this weekend and in doing so became the first-ever artist to perform an entire set in Arabic at the festival.

“Tomorrow on stage at 2:30!!! ❤️ I can’t wait! I put my heart into this show! I love you,” she posted before the show, which took place on Friday.

The Los Angeles-based music sensation, who has been taking the music industry by storm, was spotted in Saudi Arabia in November where she hosted a one-on-one session, called “Pro Xperience,” at XP Music Futures to discuss her professional career.

“Growing up, I was inspired by a lot of genres such as jazz; it was all I would sing as a young girl,” she previously told Arab News. “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 also explained more about her musical process.

“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.”


Four Saudi labels take part in Dubai popup fashion event

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Four Saudi labels take part in Dubai popup fashion event

CaptionDUBAI: Four homegrown fashion labels are part of a pop-up hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission at Dubai’s glitzy Bvlgari Resort.

The Untitled Project, ArAm, Rebirth and RBA are all represented at the event with a rack featuring their designs.

The Untitled Project’s Israa Allaf is known for her whimsical abayas and resort wear, which she says is all about experiential dressing.

Men and womenswear label RBA, a ready-to-wear brand based between Saudi Arabia and New York, is also on show, with its casual co-ordinates and separates fitting in perfectly. (Supplied)

“The inspiration behind the pieces is that it’s a fusion design where you get to see a piece of home but, at the same time, it feels like you’re (on) vacation. It’s the idea of a fantasy vacation, in a way,” she said.

Fantasy design and fairytales play a significant role in the design process, while one of the brand’s key objectives is to “show sustainability doesn’t mean boring … it could be something really artistic, and we really want to show individuality through the clothing.”

The pop up was at at Dubai’s glitzy Bvlgari Resort. (Supplied)

While Allaf’s linen summer dresses adorned with fish charms turn heads, Saudi brand Rebirth takes fashion in a different direction.

Billed as luxury, bohemian, ready-to-wear fashion, the label was founded in 2021 by Tala Abukhaled.

ArAm by Arwa Alammari. (Supplied)

The Spring/Summer 2026 collection, “Tactile Gestures,” is displayed at the pop-up, with fronds and beaded detailing found across the neutral palette line.

Men and womenswear label RBA, a ready-to-wear brand based between Saudi Arabia and New York, is also on show, with its casual co-ordinates and separates fitting in perfectly.

Finally, ArAm by Arwa Alammari rounds out the group. Alammari — listed by Forbes in the magazine’s Top 30 (2022) and Top 50 (2023) Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands — is known for her embrace of Saudi heritage, often incorporating traditional Najdi embroidery into her contemporary designs.