Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna was a surprise hit at this weekend's Glastonbury festival, where she wowed millions watching headliners Coldplay with a rendition of a hit song in Arabic.
Elyanna is a rising star in World Music with her fusion of Latin and Arabic sounds, owing to her Palestinian and Chilean heritage, and is fast becoming a household name in the UK, too, having recently performed to a sell-out crowd in London's KOKO.
On Saturday, she joined Chris Martin and Afrobeats legend Femi Kuti to sing an Arabic-language section in the Coldplay hit Arabesque backed by a dizzying mix of brass and guitars.
"Thank you for giving us and me restored faith that most humans can gather together very peacefully with all different flags, all different colours, all different genders, sexualities, ages, everything, and just sing and have a good time and ice cream, there’s no fighting, nothing like that," Martin told the crowd.
"So thank you for being inspiring to us, and hopefully we’re sending all this out into the world all together as a beacon of togetherness in a time when it might seem like that’s impossible, you just proved that it is, so that’s amazing, thank you."
While Martin did not mention Gaza, many welcomed his inclusion of a Palestinian singer in his headline set.
"So happy to see this amazing Palestinian artist in Glastonbury @Elyanna you are truly amazing! @coldplay thanks for giving the opportunity and let her sing in Arabic too. (And If you not listen to her yet, you should, she’s soooo good)," one person on X said.
Elyanna, whose family comes from Nazareth, has spoken proudly about her Palestinian heritage and donned a keffiyeh when performing an Arabic-language song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
She released the song 'Olive Branch' in 2023, which she dedicated to Palestine, saying she hoped for a better world for Palestinians.
