Elyanna has finally unveiled her long-awaited debut album WOLEDTO for all the world to see. Its title, which translates to “I am born,” speaks to the many rebirths — emotionally, musically, rhythmically — that unfold across its nine tracks. The record arrives just in time for her upcoming headlining shows in London and Los Angeles at The Wiltern on April 27th.
The album’s creation was also a wholly family-centered endeavor, with her brother Feras serving as executive producer alongside longtime collaborators Massari and Nasri Atweh. Together they’ve offered a reintroduction to the rising star as an anthemic storyteller whose empowering lyricism and rapt dance tracks hold international resonance.
There are her self-propelling club bangers like the dizzying “Ganeni,” spiraling horns and ululations paying tribute to her Palestinian and Chilean musical heritage, and “Al-Sham” with its sizzling waves of electronica. “Lel Yah Lel,” a thunderous interlude of impacting drums and scintillating riffs, leads you directly into the cavernously pulsating “Yabn El Eh,” revealing one of the album’s more ecstatic and heady offerings.
Single “Mama Eh” remains a towering highlight of bravado and earnest expression. For the heart-aching downtempo bop “Callin’ U,” Elyanna melds together Outlandish with Tamally Maak, a track that only affirms her talent for merging disparate sounds, melodies, and genres. For its finale, WOLEDTO brings her home to Palestine with the drummed-up rush of painful but hopeful yearning that’s expelled from “Sad In Pali.”
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“Every lyric, every beat, and every melody has so much intention and the more you listen the more the layers and messages uncover,” Elyanna said of the album. “It’s a free experimental project that I always wanted to do but wanted to wait until I’m ready, & now that it’s time, I’m proud to announce it & call it “Woledto” which means I am born. & it’s only the start of my journey.”
A work of staggering personal and cultural significance, WOLEDTO offers a vision of the worldwide threads from which Elyanna has woven her thrilling sound. The record taps into the enduring strength and discontent experienced by the Arab diaspora, evoking the celebratory fortitude to be found within its globally sourced music.
Words: Steven Ward
WOLEDTO is available now on all streaming platforms. See Elyanna in concert at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 27th.
Visit Elyanna on her website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Listen to WOLEDTO the new album from Elyanna below!
Elyanna
WOLEDTO
Universal Arabic Music
April 12, 2024
01 Woledto
02 Ganeni
03 Callin’ U (feat. Tamally Maak)
04 Al-Sham
05 Mama Ek
06 Kon Nafsak
07 Lel Yah Lel
08 Yabn El Eh
09 Sad In Pali
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