Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna has paid tribute to the late Egyptian composer and arranger Hany Shenouda by visiting the studio where he created some of the most influential works in modern Egyptian music.
The visit carried particular emotional significance, as Elyanna had reportedly been scheduled to meet Shenouda at the studio to discuss a potential artistic collaboration before his death on July 20, 2026. Although that meeting never took place, the young singer visited the space to honor his memory and celebrate the musical legacy he left behind.
A Collaboration That Never Took Place
Reports surrounding the visit revealed that Elyanna and Shenouda had been planning a studio session to explore the possibility of working together on a new musical project.
His death meant that the collaboration could not move forward, transforming Elyanna’s planned professional meeting into a personal tribute. During the visit, she spent time inside the studio and shared images from the location with her followers.
The studio represents an important part of Shenouda’s creative history, having served as a space where his compositions, arrangements and musical experiments took shape over several decades.
Remembering a Pioneer of Modern Egyptian Music
Hany Shenouda was widely regarded as one of the architects of modern Egyptian pop. Over a career spanning six decades, he combined traditional Arabic melodies with electronic instruments, synthesizers, funk, rock and contemporary studio techniques.
He founded the influential band Al Massrieen in 1977, helping introduce a new group-based sound that differed from the solo-vocal tradition dominating Arabic music at the time. The group’s work blended Egyptian identity with disco, jazz, psychedelic rock and Western pop arrangements.
Shenouda also contributed to the early careers of major artists including Mohamed Mounir and Amr Diab, while working with prominent singers such as Nagat El Saghira and Ahmed Adaweya. His career additionally included memorable film scores for productions including Shams El-Zanaty, El Mashbouh and El Hareef.
A Meeting Between Two Musical Generations
Elyanna’s visit symbolically connected two different generations of Arab music.
While Shenouda helped modernize Egyptian popular music during the 1970s and 1980s, Elyanna has built her career by combining Arabic musical traditions with contemporary pop, R&B and Latin influences. Her work has introduced Arabic-language music to wider international audiences, including through landmark appearances at Coachella and with British band Coldplay.
The potential collaboration between the two artists would therefore have united Shenouda’s pioneering Egyptian sound with Elyanna’s modern, globally focused approach.
Preserving the Memory of a Musical Landmark
By visiting Shenouda’s studio, Elyanna’s tribute extended beyond remembering the composer himself. It also highlighted the cultural value of the creative spaces in which major chapters of Egyptian musical history were written.
Photos from the visit offered audiences a glimpse inside a location closely associated with Shenouda’s work and the songs that influenced generations of listeners. The gesture was widely received as a sign of respect from a rising Arab star to one of the region’s most important musical innovators.
Although Elyanna and Hany Shenouda never had the opportunity to complete their planned meeting, her visit ensured that their artistic connection was still recognized. It served as both a farewell and a celebration of a musician whose ideas continue to shape the sound of Arabic pop.
