In an era where anyone with a platform makes every detail of their life accessible to the masses, Palestinian-Jordanian sensation Zeyne (@whoiszeyne on Instagram) is defying the norm.

She’s a musician, and a musician she will remain.

“Every song I drop will have a layer of who I am… I don’t want to give it away from the beginning.”

The 23-year-old singer, who has been playing the piano since she was three and touring in a dabke (traditional Palestinian dance) group since she was five, is private in the sense that she’s not dishing out out intimate personal details in interviews- or on social media- but that doesn’t mean she’s the least bit offstandish.

Rather, she’s exuberant in the way that one can only be when doing something they truly love. Sitting with her, you get the vibe that she’s still on cloud nine from her newfound success, and cherishing every moment.

A year ago, she’d come back to Jordan from England to renew her paperwork. Little did she know that the borders would close ten days later, leaving her with nothing to do but play the music she had long since put on the backburner in exchange for other professional pursuits.

Today, she’s filming music videos in Lebanon, fielding interviews in Dubai, and creating masterful mixes in Amman with her trusted producer, Nasir, who’s presence is as authentic and refreshing as Zeyne’s.

Both credit their parents, and the evolving Jordanian music scene for their ability to grow in a region that formerly considered places like Egypt and Beirut as go-to places for people that wanted to make it in the industry.

“Five years ago, we couldn’t have done this [in Jordan],” says Zeyne, rattling off a list of Jordanian musicians that came before her.

And no-her humility isn’t performative. It’s an ever present facet of her identity.

When asked about the stunning clothes she wore in the music video for her hit ‘Minni Ana,' which has so far amassed over 100k views on YouTube in the three weeks it’s been live, Zeyne excitedly tells me about Nafsika Skourti, the Amman-based brand that dressed her for the video, in only a way that a woman that celebrates woman would.

“I’m blessed to be dressed,” she says, laughing at the accidental rhyme.

Perhaps she’s too quick to credit everyone else for the success she’s rightfully earned.

She’s worked hard, posting covers day by day, in a year where most of us couldn’t do more than walk between the fridge and couch.

Plus, her sound is one like no other- not a complete surprise, given that her musical inspirations range from Lauryn Hill to Fairouz to the Rahbani brothers to Billie Eilish.

She’s also inspired by her ethnic background. Like many, Zeyne grew up in Jordan, but both sets of her grandparents are Palestinian, giving her a unique, dual-heritage identity.

“My Palestinian identity is just a huge part of who I am,” says Zeyne, who also goes by the alias of ‘Knafe Queen,’ seeing as her ancestors hail from Nablus.

“[Arabic artists] inspired me. The way they talked about topics so lightly in their music… but the topics they spoke about were quite heavy. So Fairouz never spoke about something that was, like, light. It was always something very dark and heavy… but she was able to carry it in her music very swiftly.”

“I’m trying to do that with a more modern sound and mix that with my western influences.”

Zeyne is currently working on her first EP, with her first track expected to be dropped in the summertime. 

A proud anomaly, she's not giving away any surprises. 

"I'm hoping [people] can get to know me as I get to know myself," she says smiling.