Elyanna on Call of Duty, Coldplay-Gate, and the Flavors of Palestine

Most 23-year-olds spend their summers harassing LinkedIn recruiters for internships. Elyanna spent hers in the world’s biggest stadiums opening for Coldplay on the band’s Music of the Spheres World Tour. The Nazareth-born, Palestinian-Chilean singer—best known for her Coachella 2023 performance and viral anthem “We Pray” —just became the first Arab artist to play Wembley. But she isn’t here just to collect milestones. Offstage, she bikes through Hyde Park, raids Arabic restaurants, and battles her tourmates in Mario Kart. Onstage, it’s angel wings, black boots, and a set that hits just as hard whether or not you understand the lyrics. Her family is along for the ride too, with her sister designing her elaborate costumes and her brother providing assists in the studio. As for the burden of being a Palestinian performer in 2025? “Your love for where you come from has to be stronger than your fear,” she tells us.

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OLAMIDE OYENUSI: Has anyone ever told you that you look like you’d be in The Cheetah Girls? 

ELYANNA: Oh, I’ve never heard that before. [Laughs] Thank you.

OYENUSI: Where are you?

ELYANNA: I’m in London, in Coldplay’s studio, which they were kind enough to let us use. My brother’s downstairs creating. We’ve been here since 10:00 AM.

OYENUSI: What have you done today?

ELYANNA: I’m really enjoying being in London because I bike and the park is really close. So I just bike to the park, eat a good avocado toast, and drink my chai latte. [Laughs] Then I came to the studio and we’ve been just creating, vibing, trying melodies, and enjoying all these amazing toys down there.

OYENUSI: Which park are you near?

ELYANNA: My hotel is next to Hyde Park, so it’s really, really cute. I love it, actually.

OYENUSI: I love London.

ELYANNA: Me too.

OYENUSI: Have you done any sightseeing? 

ELYANNA: Listen, I’ve been in London a few times, and this time I don’t have time to explore as much as I want to. But I feel like that’s the beauty of London—it’s just being here. From now on, every time I travel, especially on tour, I want to be next to a park. I feel like that brings me peace and it’s always a good place to go touch grass.  [Laughs]

OYENUSI: While moving from city to city, are there any items you can’t live without?

ELYANNA: I can’t live without my headphones. 

OYENUSI: What headphones?

ELYANNA: Super casual, with the wire. Also, I cannot be on tour without my family, honestly. My brother is my creative director and makes my music, and my sister does all of my clothes. 

OYENUSI: Are you the youngest, oldest, or middle?

ELYANNA: So I have my big brother, my older sister, then me—I’m the third—and then I have a little sister.

OYENUSI: Has any city or venue so far felt unexpectedly inspiring or memorable? 

ELYANNA: I mean, there’s always magic in every city. You just have to find the beauty in the culture wherever you are. But I feel like my favorite this year—and I’ve been touring for a year now— would be India. India is definitely a place that inspired me so much, even in my music, and I loved performing there. It was just unreal. But now we’re performing at Wembley, and I’m so, so grateful because it’s an iconic stadium and all the icons have performed there. 

OYENUSI: After a show, how do you decompress?

ELYANNA: To be honest, I’ve watched every Coldplay show I’ve been in. Literally, from the crowd to the stage, I come back and enjoy the show. So I don’t decompress, I just keep the joy going. 

OYENUSI: Would you say you’re Type A or Type B?

ELYANNA: I am definitely extremely detailed, which is a headache. I’m Aquarius and they’re very detailed people. So, yeah, I do pay attention to details. It’s like when you watch a movie and they don’t care about the details, it’s not a great movie, you know?

OYENUSI: I’m glad that you mentioned that you’re an Aquarius. I love a good Zodiac moment.

ELYANNA:  [Laughs] What’s your sign?

OYENUSI: I’m a Capricorn. 

ELYANNA: We’re close. 

OYENUSI: When’s your birthday?

ELYANNA: January 22nd. When is yours?

OYENUSI: December 28th. Is there a Zodiac sign that you tend to clash with?

ELYANNA:  [Laughs] You know what’s so funny? I feel like anytime I meet someone and we don’t know each other very well, I’m like, “What’s your sign?” [Laughs] It just gives me a vibe of what kind of person they are. And it might not be right at all, but it just gives me an idea, so I love it. But I’ve been good with all signs, to be honest.

OYENUSI: So I guess you are into spirituality and astrology?

ELYANNA: Not too deep, really. But for us, culturally, it’s so much fun because we read the Arabic coffee cup. My mom would make coffee and then all her neighbors and friends would come and we would just chill together. I don’t know if it’s real, but it’s fun. [Laughs]

OYENUSI: And that’s all that matters.

ELYANNA: You know what I’m saying? [Laughs]

OYENUSI: I know that you were the first Arab singer to perform at Wembley. Congratulations. 

ELYANNA: Thank you so much.

OYENUSI: How do you think that your Palestinian heritage influences you?

ELYANNA: I am a Palestinian artist, and I was born and raised in Nazareth. And every Christmas we would go to Chile and spend a month or two there. Since I was a little kid, I’ve been exposed to Latin culture and Palestinian culture. So I feel like this is who I am, and I just share it all the time with my music, with my dancing, with my message, with everything. I am inspired by my culture and I’m very, very proud to be Palestinian. And that’s why I’m so, so grateful for Coldplay for having me, because I’m sharing and telling my story.

OYENUSI: Do you ever feel some pressure as a Palestinian artist? Does it ever feel like a weight on your shoulders?

ELYANNA: It never feels like a weight on my shoulders at all. At the end of the day, your love for where you come from has to be stronger than your fear. Everybody says “weight.” No—I am Palestinian and I’m so, so proud of it. I never feel like I’m under pressure. I happily talk about it, just like anybody. They could be from Brazil and they’re super proud to be from Brazil and they don’t feel any pressure. So I never want to feel any pressure and I don’t want my people to feel any pressure. We’re actually very, very proud. And, I mean, I’m sure we see it now, especially more than ever.

OYENUSI: Is there anything that you keep with you or do on tour that reminds you of home?

ELYANNA: When I have my family with me, it already feels like home. I’ve been blessed to be able to have that connection with my family and create together because there’s so much passion towards art. And I try to go and eat Arabic food as much as I can, even though I miss my mom’s food so much.

OYENUSI: What’s your favorite Arabic dish?

ELYANNA: Listen, anything my mom cooks I’m obsessed with. [Laughs] I love all Arabic food, really. I love Makloubeh. That’s my favorite. It’s a Palestinian dish and it’s great.

OYENUSI: What’s the best meal you’ve had so far on tour? 

ELYANNA: In my green room, I always have banana chips. [Laughs] But for a main dish, we went to Arabic restaurants and ate hummus and shawarma.

OYENUSI: Do you have a rider?

ELYANNA: I do. I always make sure I have a candle, tea, and I don’t know what they call it in English, but to us it’s called as-sukkar. My grandpa used to be a singer and before he sang would take it. 

OYENUSI: Kind of like Throat Coat?

ELYANNA: I also drink Throat Coat. 

OYENUSI: It tastes so bad.

ELYANNA: [Laughs] Exactly. It’s hard sometimes.

OYENUSI: Do you have any hobbies to keep you busy when you’re not performing?

ELYANNA: We play Mario Kart and we play Call of Duty. It’s fun. [Laughs]

OYENUSI: I’m a Mario Kart stan. Who’s your character of choice?

ELYANNA: To be honest, I don’t go that deep into it. I’m like, “Guys, pick the character,” and I just play. What’s yours?

OYENUSI: I’m always riding with Toad.

ELYANNA: I should commit to somebody, huh? [Laughs]

OYENUSI: I know that Coldplay has multiple openers. Are there any artists you’ve connected with in a special way?

ELYANNA: I mean, all of them are so great. But I would say Ayra [Starr]. She’s from Nigeria too.

OYENUSI: I love her.

ELYANNA: She just has such a beautiful energy and a great heart. So I feel like I have a friend. And she’s amazing, honestly, so talented.

OYENUSI: Is there a song from another artist’s set that you secretly want to steal? 

ELYANNA: I would choose “All My Love” by Coldplay.

OYENUSI: That’s a good one. How has performing on this tour shaped your mindset or creativity?

ELYANNA: I went to a lot of different places, different cultures, and I feel like I learned how to be curious. Musically, it’s definitely more challenging now because I hear things on a different scale, so I’m even pickier. But I learned that even when I’m singing in Arabic and most people definitely don’t know what I’m saying, I still can connect with them. I find so much power in that. When I started singing in Arabic, that was my goal and it gave me confirmation. So it’s just going to keep pushing me even further and further. 

OYENUSI: When does the tour end?

ELYANNA: Our last show is on the 12th, so very soon.

OYENUSI: What are your plans after? 

ELYANNA: The tour is going to be very tough to leave because we’ve been on it for a while now, but after all this, it’s time for me to take in all these new things that I learned and apply them to my world. I feel like I’m ready to learn new things. I’m ready to learn an instrument. I’m ready to learn to speak Spanish perfectly. I just want to explore. And as I said, I learned how to be curious. It’s not easy to go there, but this tour taught me that.

OYENUSI: There’s always more to learn. I have to ask about Coldplay-Gate. 

ELYANNA: [Laughs] That was everywhere. 

OYENUSI: Were you there performing that day?

ELYANNA: I was in every Coldplay show, as you know. But I feel like people really focus on the craziest thing. There’s so many other crazy beautiful things that happened.

OYENUSI: Honestly, that’s so true. People just love tea. Have you had a favorite look on tour so far? 

ELYANNA: Every place we went to, we kind of wanted to take inspiration from the culture and use it in the looks. When my sister and I create these looks, she really commits to a certain world and we keep finding new layers, fabrics, and themes that we want to follow. But I will tell you that you’ll see white looks, you’ll see coins— and that’s a hundred percent—and black boots. It’s hard to pick a favorite. But I would say the last one that I wore had angel wings, and I think it’s really, really beautiful. I feel myself in it. I feel that aggressive but angelic feeling, which represents my performance basically.

OYENUSI: Like the Cheetah Girls.

ELYANNA: That’s what I’m saying.

OYENUSI: Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?

ELYANNA: I’m going to be in the studio and I’m going to prepare for the 12th. I’m trying to have a chill day off. I want to preserve my energy as much as I can and maybe see a musical soon.

OYENUSI: You should go to the West End. 

ELYANNA: Love that. I never have. I should do it.

OYENUSI: Well, good luck with the rest of your tour. You’re so talented and you deserve everything.

ELYANNA: Thank you, I appreciate it. I love this interview. [Laughs]