Earlier today, Elyanna dropped her latest single, “BOSA,” a big pop number that plays on gender-role reversal using Arabic flirtation vernacular.
“BOSA” is written by eight lyricists, including Lebanese hitmaker Jad Choueiri, who previously contributed to Elyanna’s most recognizable hit “Ganeni,” Egyptian writer-to-the-stars Moustafa Hadouta, and Arab diasporan star Massari. The lyrics paint a progressive image of Arab women proactively pursuing lovers, instead of the passive role advertised by the vast majority of Arab pop culture.
The same theme has recently been explored by another Palestinian artist, Dana Salah, in her track “Dori, Dorak (My Role, Your Role),” a title that couldn’t be more direct in speaking of gender-role reversal. This shift in perspective couldn’t be more timely or urgent, and we can only hope that Elyanna’s use of objectifying terms like “muzza” or the cat-calling successive kissing sounds would contribute to owning these terms and striping them from their embedded misogyny.
Produced by Morocco’s RedOne, the song drifts apart from Arab influences in favor of a pan-American stadium-pop sound, with the melodies and sentimentality borrowed from Latin America, while the big production sound comes from North American pop’s Loudness Wars. The press release itself names Kat DeLuna’s 2007 banger “Whine Up” as a direct influence.
Stream “BOSA” now on all major streaming platforms.
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