Arab Pop Stars Massari and Elyanna Will Perform at National Arab American Heritage Month Event on April 25th!

posted on: Apr 7, 2021

By: Claire Boyle/Arab America Contributing Writer

Introduction:

The Arab America Foundation is excited to announce that Arab pop stars, Massari and Elyanna will perform at the April 25^th event, “Celebrating the Contributions of Arab Americans!” Massari is a world-renown Arab singer from Lebanon whose style resembles that of “Hip Hop, pop music, and R&B,” and Elyanna is a rising pop star from Palestine who sings mostly in Arabic. Please join us on April 25, 2021, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm EDT through Zoom (with an optional networker from 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm) to hear these amazing vocalists including a special duet between Massari and Elyanna!

About the Event:

The event on April 25th will feature a variety of guests from public service, education, and the arts. Confirmed guests to date include:

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12)

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13)

Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-8)

Mike Duggan, Mayor of Detroit

Scott Brabrand, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools

Lauren Montague, Executive Director, The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University

Michael Kahwajy-Hyland, Lebanese American Dabke Dancer Extraordinaire

Domingo Garcia, National President of League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

About National Arab American Month (NAAHM):

For over a century, Arab Americans have made numerous contributions to virtually every aspect of American society: in medicine, law, business, education, technology, government, military service, and culture. As a result, their contributions have helped build a better nation. We will hear from numerous public officials, educational, and community leaders who will commemorate and pay tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans. The event will also include several Arab American music artists who will celebrate this special month through their performances. Join us as we celebrate and recognize the best that Arab American culture and society have to offer.

About the Arab America Foundation:

The Arab America Foundation has formed a national advisory committee and twenty-four state teams of over two hundred fifty Arab Americans to approach governors, state legislatures, mayors, city councils, school board members, and other public officials to issue NAAHM proclamations and adopt our educator curriculum kit, which is being disseminated to school districts across the nation as part of the month-long celebration.

Meet the Performers:

Massari:

Massari is a Lebanese Canadian R&B and pop recording artist who also has familial roots in Jordan and Palestine. At 10-years-old, along with his family, Massari was forced to flee Lebanon amid the country’s ongoing civil war where they eventually settled in Canada. Because of these experiences, he has lived a life that spans two distinct cultures. He has blended these two worldly influences into his music where he fused the Middle Eastern and Arabic beats of his youth with uniquely North American sounds of American hip hop, R&B, South Asian pop, and even the stirring rhythms of the Caribbean dancehall. When Massari sings, he seamlessly transitions between both Arabic and English in his songs which have allowed him to reach a broader audience and be very successful both at home and from afar. Massari has earned gold records meaning his albums have sold over 500,000 copies in Lebanon.

Additionally, he has found chart success with his singles in “Canada, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and internationally.” In 2005, he self-released his first album, Massari, then in 2006, he won Best Pop Video for “Be Easy,” later on in 2014, he was awarded the Murex d’Or: World-Class Celebrities of Lebanon Origin, and Massari has also been nominated for countless other awards including the esteemed Juno Awards which are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys. Massari has collaborated with the likes of French Montana, Afrojack, Torey Lanez, Mohammed Assaf, Maya Diab, Shaggy, Beenie Man, and the amazing Elyanna herself. Finally, his most recent releases include “Be Mine” in 2021 and “Ana Lahale,” a duet with Elyanna in 2020.

For a preview of Massari’s music before his exciting performance, you can listen here to his hit song, “Brand New Day”:

Elyanna:

Elyanna is a Palestinian Chilean Arab pop singer who knew at age 7 that she always wanted to be a singer. She was born in Nazareth in Palestine and her grandfather was also a famous Middle Eastern poet. Additionally, she grew up in a family where she was surrounded by art and music. Elyanna also enjoys composing her songs as she often writes music with both her mother and brother. In her young career thus far, she has already been given the nickname of the “Arab Rihanna” because of her sultry voice and wide vocal range, and Elyanna’s style has been compared to Shakira except for her major difference between these two pop stars is that she sings all of her music in Arabic which provides a bridge between the United States and her homeland of Palestine.

She started her career by covering songs in Arabic and English and posting them on Soundcloud and YouTube. Elyanna released her first songs in 2019 online including “Ta Ta” and “Oululee Leh,” and since then she’s become a rising Arab pop star by which her music has been identified as disruptive to the industry in a good way. In 2020, she released her debut EP (extended play) where she sang with Massari on her hit track, “Ana Lahale.” She is also very popular on Spotify with almost 500,000 followers and she is well-known throughout the Arab World especially amongst young people. Elyanna has also done some modeling for mostly Arab brands including Okhtein which is based in Egypt and Love Closely in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Finally, she is passionate about Palestine and frequently features posts on all her social media platforms that honor her homeland.

For a glimpse into Elyanna’s musical world, here is one of her most famous songs, that being her duet with the great Arab singer, Massari on “Ana Lahale:”

Registration Information:

Please visit our Eventbrite page to register for the “Celebrating the Contributions of Arab Americans” event on April 25, 2021, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm EDT. The link will allow you to register for all 3 events in April that are celebrating Arab American Heritage Month. After registering, please be sure to also register with Zoom as well. Join us for three amazing events!

For Press/Media Inquiries about this Event Contact:

Claire Boyle: cboyle@arabamerica.com

Phone Inquiries: 877-272-2944

To register for this event: REGISTER HERE

For more information about the Arab America Foundation, please click here

Check out Arab America’s blog here!