Arab News | Bella Hadid cheers on Elyanna as singer sets London show for new album ‘Ghazali’

DUBAI: US Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid led a wave of celebrity praise for Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna this week, as the artist announced a London concert to celebrate her second studio album, “Ghazali,” which is now out.

Hadid commented on one of Elyanna’s Instagram posts, writing: “Yes habibti … my beautiful beautiful falllastiniii princess.”

The singer is set to perform a show titled “The Journey of Ghazali” at the O2 Academy Brixton in London on Dec. 12. 

Hadid was joined by a string of stars from the region and beyond. Lebanese couturier Nicolas Jebran left red heart emojis under the “Ghazali” post, while Lebanese entrepreneur and influencer Karen Wazen added a row of fire and heart emojis.

Moroccan Canadian dancer and actress Nora Fatehi commented with a fire emoji on a separate post featuring the album’s imagery, which Elyanna captioned in Arabic: “There is no knight, only dreams.” Nigerian singer Ayra Starr wrote “Beautiful” under the same post.

DJ duo Simi and Haze Khadra posted red hearts under a video shared by New Zealand broadcaster Zane Lowe, who spoke to Elyanna for Apple Music about the world behind the album’s sound.

Announcing the release, Elyanna thanked her collaborators for “bringing your culture and light to this project.”

The nine-track record brings together Arabic pop and folk influences with musical traditions from Palestine, North Africa, Egypt, India and Chile, and is sung in Arabic, English and Spanish.

Its title track, released on Nov. 6, draws on traditional wedding chants and compares women to gazelles, a symbol of beauty, grace and freedom.

“Ghazali” follows Elyanna’s debut album “Woledto” (“I Am Born”), released in April 2024. Since then, the singer has joined Coldplay on their world tour and collaborated with the British band on the song “We Pray.” In May, she released “Illuminate,” featuring Canadian singer Jessie Reyez. The track was one of the official songs of the FIFA World Cup 2026 soundtrack.

In 2023, Elyanna became the first Arab artist to perform a full set in Arabic at the Coachella festival in California.