NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
Palestinian/Chilean pop star Elyanna (aka Elian Marjieh) is starting to take the world by storm. At just 22 yrs of age, she has released two EPs, released her debut album “WOLEDTO” this April, and has been dubbed by some as the Beyonce of the Arab world!! Her blend of dance, pop, and Arabic music have really began to reach a wide audience and her cultural inspirations are front and center with the costumes that she and her dancers wear. She was the first artist to ever perform at Coachella completely in Arabic and, earlier this month, embarked on her first North American tour to support her new record. On October 28th, she stopped by Rebel in Toronto. The line outside the venue started early and you could tell it was going to be a predominantly Arab crowd. Unfortunately, there were also two police officers outside as a precaution in this sad day and age. However, the mood was light and everyone was eager to see their favorite star!
The first opener Fairdose (aka Feras Marjieh) is actually Elyanna’s brother, producer and creative director! He DJ’ed a very brief set but got the party started. We would see him on keyboards for one of Elyanna’s songs later in the evening.
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Next up was New York based DJ Zeemuffin (aka Zainab Hasnain DiStasio), who really amped up the energy in the venue! Moving around non-stop, she gave a shout out to Palestinians in the crowd, danced, and waved her keffiyeh, which many in the audience were wearing. The predominantly female audience were singing along to almost every song being played and you could tell it was going to be a fun night.
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Finally, Elyanna was ready to take the stage and the room was abuzz! She kicked off her show with “Al Sham” from “WOLEDTO”. The costumes, the dancers, the lighting, and of course the music were all spectacular. I won’t say too much about the show because you really have to experience it to understand. I don’t know a word of Arabic yet Elyanna just mesmerizes you. Her stage presence is palpable. Although she does lip-sync almost every dance number, it almost doesn’t matter. Music expresses a feeling and the feeling in the crowd was incredibly positive and all-embracing. She wraps up the North American leg of her tour in mid-November before heading out to the EU/UK to finish out the year. Catch her while you still can see her in a relatively small venue!!
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These are incredible. Cannot fathom what it must feel like to be on stage almost every day while doing a world tour. So proud of her, her family, the team behind her production, zeemuffin and all the teams behind her world tour! So much love !!
Saira,
Breath of Henna 🤍
Talent and desire. A great combination