Palestinian Popstar Issam Alnajjar Battles Homesickness on ‘Ya Leil’

Cover Image by Rene Porto

Jordanian-Palestinian pop star Issam Alnajjar returns with an emotionally charged single ‘Ya Leil’, dissecting his struggle with homesickness.

Issam initially started his musical career by sharing his covers of his favourite songs on TikTok. In 2021, he catapulted to global stardom overnight after his bedroom-recorded song ‘Hadal Ahbek’ went viral on TikTok, garnering over three billion views and securing number one on Spotify’s Viral 50 chart with more than 46 million streams.

In his latest release, ‘Ya Leil’, Issam bares his soul as he reflects on his loneliness after leaving his homeland through heartfelt Arabic lyrics, where he addresses his home lovingly as ‘Habibi’. The song is surprisingly upbeat, featuring those fast-paced insistent drums of typical pop productions, interspersed with soulful bass guitar arrangements that echo hints from country rock. At night, when the world slows down, is when Issam feels the loneliest, trapped in a battle with his constant homesickness, one that he doesn’t know how to win.

‘’Leaving home and embarking on a new chapter in life brought with it a deep and profound sense of loneliness’’, Issam tells SceneNoise. ‘’Each night felt like an endless reminder of the warmth and familiarity I had left behind… Being Palestinian and never having had the chance to set foot on the land of my heritage added to that deep sense of loss I was consistently feeling’’.

In the music video accompanying ‘Ya Leil’, Issam appears performing on a rooftop under a starlit sky surrounded by twinkling yellow lights, with a keffiyeh scarf wrapped around his microphone stand, serving as a tribute to his Palestinian heritage and a representation of his solidarity with Palestine.