Palestine, childhood and the album "Born"... Iliana in a heartfelt conversation

BBC conducted an interview with the international star, Eliana, conducted by the media professional and correspondent, Sherihan Al-Akhras, and published it on YouTube and Facebook.

Eliana defends Palestine The video interview talked about Eliana, as an artist who started from Nazareth to California to London, as Eliana is a Palestinian voice that reaches the world with a different voice.

“It’s amazing to be performing in London,” Eliana explained in her interview, expressing her happiness to sing in Arabic with an audience from around the world, describing it as “a truly inspiring experience.”

Eliana's Palestinian origins make her unique. Eliana said that her Palestinian origins and culture inspire her a lot, and are the reason for her current personality, noting that she grew up in Nazareth, adding that life was very beautiful in Palestine, and she recounted her memories of listening to Fairuz in the morning at school before classes began, and going to church, describing her country as the “Holy Land.”

“I feel grateful that I grew up and was raised in Palestine. I really care about our roots and traditions and preserve them wherever I go,” she continued. As for her collection of different types of music, such as Latin, oriental, and others, she said that this is natural for her because she is ultimately from a Palestinian home, noting, “I grew up knowing that my grandfather was a great artist and I was greatly influenced by Palestinian weddings. I was also greatly influenced by the songs and artists that my father listened to, such as Sabah Fakhri, Fairuz, or George Wassouf.”

She stressed that she is also proud of her Chilean origins, and that both cultures inspire her, noting that she also draws inspiration from other countries such as Morocco and Algeria.

She explained that when she went to the United States, she found that some people had lost their identity, especially some Arab Americans and the Arab community in general.

Eliana: It's time to prove our identity. “The audience is eager to see artists from the same background as them, to be able to represent them. I believe when you are proud of your origin and your roots, you shine brighter,” said Eliana about holding on to identity. That is why she was keen to go to Brown University and represent the country she came from, stressing that she supports the generation everywhere.

As for the difficulties she faced, she explained that this field is not easy, and that she is trying to create her own music, stressing that she does not focus on challenges as much as she focuses on creativity, adding that the greatest inspiration in her life is her mother, as she is a strong Palestinian woman who is proud of her identity and roots.