Illuminate (song)

The song developed during a studio session involving Elyanna, her brother Feras Margieh, and producer Cirkut. According to Elyanna, she heard the track for the first time during the session and reacting immediately to the demo and recorded her vocals on the same day.^[7] In an interview, she recalled, "[I] recorded it that same day", Elyanna told The Fader over a video call from Los Angeles.^[8]

FIFA selected Elyanna and Jessie Reyez to perform the song as part of a collaboration intended to bring together artists from different cultural backgrounds.^[3][9] The project drew on the performers' respective Palestinian-Chilean and Colombian heritage, which was reflected in elements of the song and its accompanying visual presentation. The Arabic-language lyrics were co-written by Elyanna, Massari, and Elyanna's mother, Abeer Sbiat Marjieh.^[7][10]

Elyanna on being part of the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Soundtracks

I am deeply proud to represent my culture, my country, and the Middle East, North Africa, and the Arab world on such a global stage … through this song "Illuminate", The tournament “brings people from all over the world together to celebrate culture and humanity.^[11]

The song is a combination of Reyez's alternative R&B style with the Arabic, Chilean, and pop fusion by Elyanna.^[14][15] Elyanna moves between the two languages English and Arabic throughout the song. The Arabic part contains lyrics that translate into "Let me hear your voice, the best in the world / Shout out to the champions," as well as the expression "Oh, the night." As for the English parts, these contain confident and persevering statements, with the central word being "illuminate," which serves as a representation of unity beyond cultural barriers.^[8]

After the release of her album "Illuminate," there was new controversy about whether Elyanna was a representative of Palestinians as an important figure in the Palestinian music community. On the one hand, some observers regarded her fame on the international stage as her cultural representation, while on the other hand, it was argued whether her personal representation as well as artistic one had any connection to the Palestinian culture.^[16] In an article for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, writer Sheren Falah Saab mentioned the comments of Rob Eshman, a writer at "The Jewish Journal" website, where he compared Elyanna with Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid as Palestinian-Americans, representing themselves as "informal cultural ambassadors" of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.^[17]

Reyez and Elyanna performed "Illuminate" at the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony, which took place on Friday, June 12, at the Toronto Stadium in Canada.^[18][19] This performance occurred during Canada's first match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[20] The performance made Elyanna the only artist on the FIFA World Cup 2026 soundtrack to represent the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.^[8]

¡Hola! US described "Illuminate" as "one of the most emotionally driven songs released so far from the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album," and noted that the track "doesn't lean entirely into stadium-ready energy, but takes a more intimate and atmospheric direction while still carrying the scale expected from a World Cup soundtrack."^[12] A more critical review by Remezcla, where Richard Villegas assessed the full album of FIFA World Cup 2026 releases in a column. Villegas was broadly negative toward the album's approach, arguing that the songs prioritised "TikTok activations" over communal, fan-centred songwriting. he described "Illuminate" as "an EDM track that again resorts to archival footage and scenes of the women belly dancing in a generic studio space," grouping it with other entries in the album that he felt lacked human authenticity.^[21]

Credits adapted from the official FIFA press release and The National.