19-year-old Elyanna is taking over the music industry, song by song.

Last week the Palestinian-Chilean songstress Elyanna released the much-anticipated single ‘Hada Ghareeb‘ with TikTok star Issam AlNajjar. It feels like only yesterday that the Jordanian artist Issam went viral on TikTok for his audio ‘Hadal Ahbek,’ (and when we mean viral, we mean his audio has been used by 369.3k videos.)

Elyanna’s been working just as hard as well what with her EP ‘Elyanna’ being released last year, and her mashup of ‘Talking to the moon x Fi Hagat‘ reaching 1.5 million views on TikTok.

This power duo is going places.

The pair’s single ‘Hada Ghareeb‘ is all about love, friendship, and a lil’ bit of pining (which we love,) matched with a summer-type beat that is the perfect mix of classic Arabic instrumentals and a California sound.

If you love Arabic music just as much as the next person, then these two artists are the ones to watch.

Cosmo ME had the chance to discuss the song’s release with Elyanna, her 5-year-plan, and how she feels as a Gen Z Arab woman being given such a global platform.

Scroll down to have a read…

Cosmo ME: Where do you hope to see your music career in five years’ time? 

Elyanna: I hope I’ll be in a place where I can actually succeed in my mission to leave a mark, not only on the Arabic world but internationally because my music has such a unique sound that the world needs to hear!

I hope I’ll be touring, meeting all my fans around the world, representing my culture in the most artistic way! I’m blessed to have my team UAM & SAL&CO beside me, and I hope together we can make all these dreams come true! 

C: How does it feel to be an Arab woman with such a huge global platform? 

E: As challenging as it is for us as Arab women, we have to break all the barriers, and that’s what we’re here for. I’m still working towards achieving this goal. 

C: Do you feel that Arab women are properly represented in the music and the entertainment industry? 

 E: I think that there are Arab women who have already paved the way for others in the music industry, like the Egyptian singer-songwriter Umm Kulthum, Asmahan, and many others, but the new generation of Arab women have a new approach to music.

Their music is more personal as it reflects their modern lifestyle and this is what makes it tough for them to break through.

C: You’ve recently released a single with Issam AlNajjar called ‘Hada Ghareeb,’ please tell us more about the song, the songwriting process, and working with another young Gen Z Arab artist… 

E: Issam and I are good friends so the whole process was fun. Besides, we both come from Arabic countries so we share the same culture and we both have the same vision.

We want Arabic music to transcend language barriers and this is what we worked on achieving in our song ‘Hada Ghareeb.’  Although the lyrics are in Arabic, they get everybody to listen.  

C: If you could collaborate with any musician in the world, dead or alive, who would it be? 

E: It would be Edith Piaf because all her songs are full of emotion and that reflects the person I am. When I sing any of her songs, I feel the melody, even if I don’t understand the lyrics. She has amazing vocals as well so she really inspires me too.Â