Born in Iraq and raised in Toronto, Canada, alt-pop artist ANLIL is one to keep on your radar.
Growing up, ANLIL travelled between Iraq, Syria, and parts of Lebanon, surrounded by family, and she even had a pet sheep—a rare but unforgettable part of her childhood.
These early experiences, navigating multiple cultures, helped shape the distinctive sound she’s now known for: a genre-blending mix of alternative pop, alt-rock, experimental textures, and Middle Eastern-inspired melodies.
ANLIL’s artistry extends beyond music, drawing inspiration from literary influences like the introspective prose of Russ and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, which inform the way she explores universal truths and spiritual depth in her lyrics.
“I always knew I had some form of obsession with music. I think no matter what I went through from when I was a young age till now, whatever life threw at me, music somehow ended up being the thing I fell on,” she says.
Reflecting on her journey, she adds, “I’ve always kind of felt like I had a calling for it. I didn’t realize it until probably, I feel like, 10 or 12 years ago. But yeah, it was a journey for me to understand the belief in myself and belief in what I had as far as my talent, and what I could do with it.”
ANLIL’s creative process is often guitar-led, beginning with raw freestyle sessions.
“When I write, I freestyle, so it's just me and the guitar—it just… flows. It’s hot and cold. There are times when I just freestyle—I love it, it just comes out. Then there are moments when I sit down intentionally. ‘Complicated’ was one of those. I write a lot of beautiful, sad, dark stuff. I still go down that path, but make it more structured, more deliberate in terms of what I want technically, rather than just letting it flow.”
ANLIL adds, “I get into refining things like BPM, key, and thinking about my favorite songs that hold up in the same way—what makes them work, what I want to achieve technically while still keeping the emotion.”
Her musical influences are as eclectic as her sound. “Björk is a big one—she’s just unreal. Fiona Apple, too—when I first heard her music, I listened to her entire catalog. Her writing is so raw and poetic; she reminds me of Rupi Kaur in how she uses language. Björk and Fiona both have this fearless creativity I really connect with. I love Doja Cat—for what she stands for, who she is, and what she's all about. I love that she does not give an F. Billie Eilish is one of those that—actually, the first cover I did, she saw it and liked it. I was like, ‘Wow.’”
Her debut album, Celestial, is set to be fully released by the end of 2025, spanning 12 tracks—its number inspired by the 12 zodiac signs.
The album reflects both her personal journey and her cosmic fascination. “I've always been a geek for anything that is outer space… I've been infatuated with it since I was a kid. I used to literally—cheesy as it sounds—talk to stars. I’d look up at the sky and think, I know there’s something out there, something more than what we have here. We’re such tiny specs, like little ants, and yet we're so big in what we've accomplished as humans.”
ANLIL continues, “The word Celestial came from that obsession with space and the idea that we’re all like stars. Every one of us is unique—no one experiences or perceives something in exactly the same way as someone else. That uniqueness is beautiful to me. I find it fascinating, like the unknown, the space beyond what we can see or fully understand. We’re all mysteries, with layers and complexities that are constantly unfolding. I wanted to dedicate this album to that—the individuality, the unknown, and the beauty in both.”
Celestial blends alt-rock with electronic, cinematic, and Middle Eastern influences, shaped by her experiences growing up in the Middle East, moving to Canada, and now living in Los Angeles.
“I think all three places that I came from became like instruments to me—like newfound languages,” she explains. “Growing up in the Middle East—I was about seven when we came to Canada—but I still had memories and things that stayed with me. For me, it’s not like when you hear ‘Middle Eastern’–you think, ‘Oh, she sings in Arabic here and there,’ or there’s an oud. It’s more like the nuance or certain ways of how I sing that stemmed from my culture.”
Her mother’s singing at church in Aramaic, an ancient language, left a lasting mark. “It has very eerie and dark melodies and notes. Stuff like that really influenced me.”
Canada introduced her to Western music and pop culture: “I started listening to a lot of rock when I was growing up. Back then, it was radio stations, so whatever station had alternative or rock, that’s what I was listening to. I love pop as well; I thought that was so simplistic yet intriguing, and just how in-depth it can go by using such simple language.”
Los Angeles, she says, brought her music to life. “Then LA just kind of breathed life into what I do and made me believe all the more—just being there, surrounded by other creatives and people that want to make it just like you. It just excited me so much to be there. All three kind of merged, I feel like, and this album almost sounds like all three for me.”
ANLIL is no stranger to collaboration.
On working with John Gilbert on “Forbidden,” she recalls: “I was so in awe of him. He's such an incredible mixing engineer, and just a great engineer and musician all around. He actually worked with Mt. Joy, he just knows how to take something and make it sound so timeless and not change it in any way, just still keep the soul of what the song is about, and its structure and its skeleton, but just give it some magic energy.”
Gilbert also helped her embrace imperfections: “He really helped me be at peace with imperfections when recording and when creating… He was, like, one of those people that solidified that for me and made me feel a little bit safer being like, ‘okay, I'm gonna stick with this. I like the breathiness here, I like the crackle here.’ Just kind of taught me a lot about mixing, so much that I kind of took it and ran with it and did ‘Oasis’ myself, like, right after. Yeah, so it was a big, big learning moment for me, from him, and he's such an inspiration to me.”
Before Gilbert, ANLIL was mentored by Che Pope, whose perspective shaped her creative philosophy: “He's worked on such incredible and controversial albums—Kanye West, Lauryn Lauren Hill—there’s so many that he's had his hands on, and just historically shapeshifted, as far as how he is and how he thinks and how he creates. He really helped me. He was my mentor for a little while, and was very supportive, very loving, and very kind through every step that I took… Rather than directing every move, he'd guide me here and there, and we'd have conversations, but I think he kind of let me steer at times and made me feel comfortable with doing that. That helped me really believe in myself as well, all the more.”
Currently, ANLIL collaborates closely with DJ and producer Swayló, whom ANLIL calls “literally, like, a brother to me. We’ve written a few songs together, and we released one, I think just at the beginning of this year, called ‘Ocean Tides.’ He's very Afro-inspired, Spanish-inspired—house, deep house, melodic house, and I love that.”
Their partnership has pushed her into new musical territories while keeping their creative bond deeply personal.
“He’s very spiritual; we talk a lot about the universe and energy. He’s helped me realize it’s okay to just be myself, even in moments when I feel like a total geek or nerd. He’ll be like, ‘No, I feel the same way,’ and those kinds of conversations mean so much to me. Working with him is just the cherry on top. A lot of my collaborators leave me wondering, ‘How did this even happen?’ I’m just so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from them.”
Reflecting on the impact of mentorship and collaboration, ANLIL explains, “Whenever I’m around people like that, I’m like a sponge. I don’t care about my opinion or what I know—I just want to absorb what they know. I’ve crossed paths with people who’ve helped me understand things about myself and about music in ways I couldn’t have otherwise. It’s been amazing.”
With Celestial, ANLIL hopes listeners feel seen and understood. “I just want people to feel understood. Ultimately, I just want listeners to feel seen and heard. People need that right now. We need to feel accepted, to see that difference is beautiful and rare. That’s what I want to celebrate through this album.”
Writing during a period of displacement and isolation, she aimed to create a sense of home through her music: “Through the diversity of the sounds and lyrics, I hope listeners find something that feels like home to them—the same way I did when certain songs made me feel like, ‘Oh my god, this person is telling my story.’ I want that connection. Every human is special, and I want this album to be an ode to that.”
Asked to define her artistic identity, she calls herself “the storyteller. Writing and storytelling have always been my greatest love, whether I’m pulling from real experiences or creating something imagined. Storytelling can bring closure, offer new perspectives, and build empathy. It’s powerful. I also take words very seriously. Whether I’m writing music or just speaking, I try to be intentional because words resonate. The way you say something can completely shift how it’s received. So, yes—storyteller fits me best.”
Looking ahead, ANLIL is focused on bringing her music into new spaces.
“I’ve got my first major festival performance coming up. It’s called Tahoe Live this December, and I’ll be performing with SWAYLÓ. We have two new songs coming out soon, one this month and another next, including ‘So Divine,’ which is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. We’re creating this new world together, merging both of our sounds, and performing it live in the mountains, surrounded by snow under the stars. It’s going to be incredible.”
She’s also expanding her reach beyond the stage with a sync placement at Tyler Perry Studios, finishing up her debut album—set for release by the end of this year or early next – while continuing to explore new collaborations and creative opportunities.
For ANLIL, the journey is just beginning, rooted in connection, storytelling, and music that truly resonates.
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