In a striking political gesture, the British rock band, Coldplay, featured Palestinian-Chilean singer, Elyanna, during their headlining performance at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, 29 June.
Later in the show, the band’s lead singer, Chris Martin, emphasized the importance of showing a “beacon of togetherness.”
Elyanna joined Coldplay onstage during their rendition of their song, ‘Arabesque,’ from their 2019 album, ‘Everyday Life,’ singing the Arabic part. She also performed with the band, ‘We Pray,’ a song from their unreleased album, ‘Moon Music,’ alongside Burna Boy and Simz.
Elyanna, 22 years old, was catapulted into stardom at the age of 15. Her artistic lineage goes back to her grandfather, a Palestinian singer-poet, and her mother, a Palestinian pianist. She grew up in Palestine, embracing her Arab heritage, and every so often, reconnecting with her Chilean roots by visiting Chile, where her paternal grandmother is from.
In 2017, she moved from Palestine to California in the United States, and launched her music career. She initially gained recognition through posting song covers on Instagram, and Elyanna’s talent soon captured the attention of Grammy-winning artist and singer Nasri Atweh, propelling her into the spotlight.
Elyanna made headlines by becoming the first woman to sing in Arabic on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she delivered captivating performances of her songs, Mama Eh (What mama, 2024) and ‘Callin’ U.’ Elyanna also made history last year as the first Arab woman to perform at the Coachella music festival.
Elyanna, a Palestinian, has been actively advocating the Palestine cause on her social media platforms, and engaging in discussions.
At the Glastonbury Festival, the audience raised the Palestinian flag from the first day of the festival, surfacing during Dua Lipa’s electrifying performance and gracing the backdrop of Coldplay’s set.
Towards the end of Coldplay’s headline performance, Martin, using his platform to deliver a resonant message, called for unity during what he described as “a very divided time on Earth.”
Addressing the audience, he acknowledged that there were “so many terrible things happening.” He expressed his conviction that “most people on Earth are full of love and full of kindness, compassion.”
Martin said, “We [the band] don’t believe in oppression or occupation, terrorism or genocide, nothing like that.”
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