Elyanna, a 24-year-old singer born and raised in Nazareth, performed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Canada on Thursday night, sharing the stage with Canadian artist Jessie Reyez for “Illuminate,” one of the tournament’s official soundtrack songs.
The performance occurred at Toronto’s BMO Field before Canada’s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dressed in an ensemble reflecting diverse cultural influences, Elyanna delivered an energetic set marked by dynamic choreography and a powerful vocal presence. International media highlighted her distinction as the sole artist of Middle Eastern or North African descent featured on FIFA’s official soundtrack.
Born Elian Amer Marjieh on January 22, 2002, in Nazareth, Israel, Elyanna grew up in a Christian Arab family in Israel’s largest Arab city. Her maternal grandfather performed Lebanese folk poetry (zajal), while her paternal Chilean grandmother, a pianist, contributed to the cross-cultural influences shaping her artistry.
Elyanna Takes FIFA’s Opening Ceremony
She began singing at age seven, inspired by artists like Umm Kulthum, Sabah Fakhri, Beyoncé, and Aretha Franklin. In 2017, her family relocated to the U.S., initially settling in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles to advance her music career.
After relocating, she was discovered by Canadian producer Nasri Atweh, signed with Universal Arabic Music, and cultivated a sound fusing Arabic music with pop, R&B, and Latin elements—termed “experimental Arab pop.”
Her career has included landmark achievements: in 2023, she became the first artist to perform a full Arabic-language set at Coachella; she has collaborated with Coldplay, hosted The Late Show segment, and released her debut album Woledto (“I Was Born”) in 2024.
Embracing her mixed heritage, she identifies as “Your Pali girl,” crediting Nazareth’s cultural landscape—where she first nurtured her dreams—to her artistic identity. Merging English and Arabic lyrics, “Illuminate,” co-written with Reyez, embodies her ethos of bridging cultural divides.
Elyanna’s World Cup performance garnered widespread social media acclaim, aligning with a broader celebration of diversity at the event, which also featured Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, and Alessia Cara.
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