< PreviousTop and trousers both by Yoox Shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti M A K E U P A R TI ST: SA R A H SAYA H A I R : J U I C E SA LO N AS S I STA NT ST Y LI ST: H AJ I R Z A I DA N W IT H T H A N KS T O S L S D U B A I . 60and its music video has garnered over 12 million views on YouTube at the time of writing. “I want to give a huge shoutout to Massari,” Elyanna says. “He took a shot to make a song with a new artist that really had nothing. I had no music out when we started working together.” The move marked the beginning of a collaborative journey for Elyanna, who went on to work with other Arab artists like Issam Al Najjar, who is known for his TikTok viral song ‘Hadal Ahebek’. Their collaborative track ‘Hada Ghareeb’ was released in September 2021, and it’s no surprise that like the songs before it, it was a success. Their chemistry is well-recorded in a music video that’s been watched over 5 million times. “I went to Jordan with Issam, and I performed with him. And, it was really an amazing experience. I love collaborating with Arab artists” she says. The months following Hada Ghareeb’s release were spent working on her second EP, which is entitled ‘Elyanna 2’ and was released in March 2022. A childhood dream of Elyanna came true during the project: working with Lana Del Rey. Del Rey’s sister Chuck Grant directed the music video of her song ‘Al Kawn Janni Maak,’ which is an Arabic iteration of the classic ‘La Vie En Rose’ by the legendary Édith Piaf. Impressed with Elyanna’s talent, Lana Del Rey wanted to get involved, so she styled her for it. “She was so involved with the vision,” Elyanna explains. “I trusted them both and they did such an amazing job. It was so beautiful working with these two women. They really inspired me.” Elyanna considers Lana as one of her earliest inspirations. “I’ve been listening to her since I was 10 years old,” she says. “My siblings and I are huge Lana fans. It got to a point where we listened to the album so much that my mum had to throw it from the car window.” At the time, Elyanna would have no idea that she’d go on to work with the Grammy-nominated artist ten years later. “It’s magical working with an artist that inspires you,” she says. The highlights that came with her second EP didn’t stop there. The seven- track project included another hit, namely ‘Ghareeb Alay’ in which she collaborated with Tunisian rapper Balti. “Balti is very, very dope to me. I think his stuff is re. And we had a connection with music,” she says before adding “I sent him ‘Ghareeb Alay’, which I believed in and thought was an amazing song, but I felt like it needed something more. And Balti was a great choice. He literally sent me one recording of what he would like to put on the song. I heard it and for the rst time, I didn’t want to change anything.” Inarguably, working with Balti was indeed a great choice, resulting in her biggest hit yet. The track has been played over 32 million times on YouTube, and counts 2 million plays on Spotify. And just as she had done with Issam Najjar in Jordan, Elyanna is heading over to Tunis to take the stage in her collaborator’s native country. Experiencing different cultures is in part the reason Elyanna works in the way she does. “I love doing collabs. You can mix cultures and there are so many elements you can bring in to a song,” she says. Her inclination to mix cultures likely has to do with her migrating to America as a teenager, but it’s better contextualized through the fact that she was also raised in a mixed household, with a paternal grandmother who is Chilean. And one thing for sure, she’s passionate about her Latin American heritage. “I have a big family in Chile,” she says. “I always go. Chile is a very beautiful place, so I really call it my second home,” she explains. After a lengthy discussion about Chile, the little-known but enormous Arab diaspora that exists there, and a nod to the professional football team named ‘Palestino’ after the Palestinians who founded it in 1920, we dove right back into her music. It quickly became clear that whilst she enjoys working with other artists, she certainly understands the importance of maintaining a distinctive identity. “As an artist, there’s always got to be this one album where you carry it yourself,” she declares. “When the time’s right, I’m denitely going to go for it.” According to her, her chef d’oeuvre is still on the way. Considering she is just 20 years old, it’s quite easy to believe her; understanding that it takes time to learn about who you are and the kind of work you want to put out to the world. As it stands, Elyanna is having fun in her journey of discovery—not abiding by the rigid boxes that Arab music has been placed in in the past. “For example, when I sing ‘Ala Balik’ I’m just telling a story. I’m not trying to write a poem here. I will write it when the song needs it, and if I feel like it,” she says. But I want to tell people that nothing is wrong with writing a story that’s not going to make you cry. You can also just have fun.” She’s passionate as she speaks, sticking her guns to the idea of paving a lane of her own. In the way that one would speak with a megaphone at a rally, she says “it’s cool to listen to Arabic music. You just gotta make the right music.” And for now, she’s playing her part creating songs for “girls who want to be irty, and are also strong women,” as she put it. 61 On The CoverCRIB S How mid-century modern of you. 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You can even become a member of this online retailer and sign up to monthly archived records and anthologies. Are we surprised records are making their biggest comeback since the ’90s? No. No, we are not. Earn your rightful place as the trendy one by shopping the coolest vendors in the biz. 123 63i n s i l k Cribs 64we s l e e p As a material gworl you deserve the very best, and that includes sleeping like a ~princess~. Not to be dramatic but you should switch out your cotton cases, like, RTFN for some silk ones if you want your hair and skin to thrive. Other than having silk sheets just to flex, the fabric also prevents fine lines, maintains your curls, and cools you down during the summer months’ unbearable heat. Silk slip dresses may have been all the rage in fashion last year, but we’re declaring silk as the 2022 homeware MVP. PHOT OG R APHY BY AD E L R AS H I D ST Y LI N G BY I VA N A T O G H E R WO RD S BY SA RA A LH U MIRI Corset and Skirt by Marbl. Flowers: BloomingBox Cribs 65Top by Nudress Pants by COMME DES STARS sw e e t d r e a m s ar e m a d e o f th is Cribs 66Dress and Robe by COMME DES STARS Ring: Pandora Earrings: Stylist’s Own d r e a m a l i t t l e d re a m o f m e Cribs 67Pyjama Set by Nadine Merabi Ring: Pandora Earrings and Necklace: Stylist’s own Satin Pillowcases: The Lumière Co n i g h t s i n w h i t e s a t i n , MODEL: BEKI KSOURI CONTENT DIRECTOR: ROUHANA EL HAGE CREATIVE DIRECTION: TWINKLE STANLY PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: JANICE CRASTO MAKEUP ARTIST: DENVER-JAY KILLICK FROM THE SALON HAIR: JOHN MEIGHAN FROM THE SALON WITH THANKS TO PALAZZO VERSACE n e ve r r e a c h i n g t h e e n d . . . 68 Cribs69Next >