diff --git a/beetsplug/deezer.py b/beetsplug/deezer.py
index 65d98f5d0e..6ea1726313 100644
--- a/beetsplug/deezer.py
+++ b/beetsplug/deezer.py
@@ -215,9 +215,20 @@ def get_search_query_with_filters(
         name: str,
         va_likely: bool,
     ) -> tuple[str, dict[str, str]]:
-        query = f'album:"{name}"' if query_type == "album" else name
-        if query_type == "track" or not va_likely:
-            query += f' artist:"{artist}"'
+        if query_type == "album":
+            query = f'album:"{name}"'
+            if not va_likely:
+                query += f' artist:"{artist}"'
+        else:
+            # Deezer drops unquoted free text as soon as the query carries any
+            # field:"value" filter, so `<title> artist:"<artist>"` degenerated
+            # into "every track by this artist", truncated to `search_limit`.
+            # The wanted track routinely fell outside that window. Filtering on
+            # the title instead is no better, because `artist:` is fuzzy enough
+            # to match unrelated artists ("Pan Da Punk" for "Daft Punk"), so the
+            # two filters can intersect to nothing even for a well-tagged file.
+            # Plain free text lets Deezer's own relevance ranking do the work.
+            query = f"{name} {artist}".strip()
 
         return query, {}
 
diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index 8316ff9a3c..2702d108fe 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -30,6 +30,13 @@ Bug fixes
 - :doc:`plugins/lyrics`: ``beet lyrics`` no longer crashes with an
   ``AttributeError`` on tracks that have no stored lyrics when ``force`` is
   enabled; a missing lyrics body is now treated as empty text. :bug:`6860`
+- :doc:`plugins/deezer`: Singleton searches now use plain free text rather than
+  ``<title> artist:"<artist>"``. Deezer discards unquoted free text as soon as a
+  query contains any ``field:"value"`` filter, so the old query was evaluated as
+  ``artist:"<artist>"`` alone -- every track by the artist, in Deezer's own
+  relevance order and truncated to ``search_limit``. For artists with more
+  releases than that window, the track being imported was never among the
+  candidates offered.
 
 ..
     For plugin developers
diff --git a/test/plugins/test_deezer.py b/test/plugins/test_deezer.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e62514824d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/plugins/test_deezer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import pytest
+
+from beets.library import Item
+from beetsplug.deezer import DeezerPlugin
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def plugin():
+    return DeezerPlugin()
+
+
+class TestSearchQuery:
+    def test_track_query_is_free_text(self, plugin):
+        query, filters = plugin.get_search_query_with_filters(
+            "track", [Item()], "Artist", "Title", False
+        )
+
+        assert query == "Title Artist"
+        assert filters == {}
+
+    def test_track_query_tolerates_missing_artist(self, plugin):
+        query, _ = plugin.get_search_query_with_filters(
+            "track", [Item()], "", "Title", False
+        )
+
+        assert query == "Title"
+
+    def test_album_query_filters_on_album_and_artist(self, plugin):
+        query, filters = plugin.get_search_query_with_filters(
+            "album", [Item()], "Artist", "Album", False
+        )
+
+        assert query == 'album:"Album" artist:"Artist"'
+        assert filters == {}
+
+    def test_album_query_omits_artist_for_various_artists(self, plugin):
+        query, _ = plugin.get_search_query_with_filters(
+            "album", [Item()], "Various Artists", "Album", True
+        )
+
+        assert query == 'album:"Album"'