X.'s Experience

Canadian award winning, LGBTQIA+ singer, songwriter, artist, and mental health advocate Daniella Watters (performing under the moniker X. ARI), has been singing since she could talk. She began vocal lessons at the tender age of 7, recorded her first song at 11, and by age 13 she was touring Canada and the United States with her girl pop group, Untamed. One of her most memorable experiences with Untamed was when she played in front of 10,000 screaming fans in Toronto’s Skydome (now Rogers Centre). Her taste in music has evolved, grown, and adapted over the years to portray messages of empowerment, individuality, and a raw openness that took a lot of courage and self-confidence to acquire. X. ARI lives by her life motto of turning “Pain Into Power” through art and self-care. Having multiple mental health challenges is not her identity, but her superpower. The songstress deftly dances in and out of genre lines, moving from enchanting alternative pop to gritty hip-hop production under a cover of electronic elegance. All the while, her visceral lyrics transmit messages of hope as often as they ponder tragedy. It is the mixture of those two elements when X. ARI’s sound and voice come to life. The identity and name X.ARI is a persona that she adopted amidst working on her debut “Tunnel Vision” EP in 2015 funded by Factor’s Juried Sound Recording grant. “In Nordic, ARI means eagle and in Hebrew, it means lion. The X. stands for “x” chromosome, which signifies unity as it is something we all have in common. X. ARI’s music aims to serve as a vehicle for expression and world healing. “We don’t need to be defined by labels and we can turn our weakness into strength with a lot of self-love, radical acceptance, support, therapy, and consistency. If I can get through my traumas and turn Pain into Power, so can you”, says X. ARI. X. ARI has been very prolific over the last couple of years. Her latest releases, “Good For Me” (May 14, 2021) & “She Knows It” (April 16, 2021) are off her fifth EP titled “Anja”. In January 2021, she released her single “Jumpstate”, which followed shortly after her fourth EP, “As You Are” that dropped in October, 2020 in support of World Mental Health Day. In February 2020, X. ARI released the fun and lighthearted “BSMI” (Broke, Single, and Mentally Ill) music video that she wrote and directed. In September 2019 X. ARI released her self-directed music video for “Magnetic”, which was also performed live on Dash Radio with We Found New Music. Just before that, in June 2019, she released her third EP “Uni-Fi”, dedicated to mental health awareness and her EP release party was hosted by the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). Since then, NAMI and X. ARI have been collaborating and she speaks online and at schools about mental health by sharing her story to inspire healing and hope in others. In July 2018, X. ARI released her 2nd EP “Dis-Order”, Self-Care Tips, and launched her first ever merchandise and self-care line dedicated to mental health awareness. X. ARI gives back by donating partial proceeds from her self-care line, composed of journals, candles, and healing bracelets, to Jack.org. Jack.org is the only Canadian charity that trains and empowers young leaders to revolutionize mental health. Through their programs they ensure young people in Canada take care of their mental health and get the help they deserve, when they need it. X. ARI has achieved some notable accolades in her career thus far. Her EP “Tunnel Vision” went on to win several awards, including Artistic Echoes Indie awards for ‘Best Female Artist’, ‘Best Album of the Year’, and ‘Best Single’, for the title track ‘Tunnel Vision’. Her single ‘Teachers’ also won the Indie International Songwriting Competition in March 2018. She was selected by Music Connection magazine to be featured in their Year-End’s issue as one of the “HOT 100 LIVE UNSIGNED ARTIST & BANDS OF 2018”. Her single “Stay v Go” also got some momentum. It premiered on New Music Friday Canada and was added on stations across Canada, which led to a radio tour in the summer of 2018. It also got an honorable mention in the Unsigned Only Songwriting Competition in 2019 and came in first place in the Toronto IMSTA Fest 2018. In the fall of 2018, 1200 Journey shoe stores across the US aired an interview and a live performance video of “Stay v Go.” The music video for “Stay v Go” also got on MTV.com. “Flashbacks”, also on her “Dis-Order” EP and “Make Me Good” and “I Can’t Quit” were on MTV’s “Are You The One.” More recently, in 2021, her song “Something” was on an episode of Teen Mom and a song she co-wrote titled “Don’t Tease” by Ella is being featured in a short film. X. ARI has also had some success as a co-writer on many other artist’s records including “Get in Get Out” by Cameron Bloomfield (Sony UK), and “Young Love” by Broken Back (Warner France). X. ARI is currently working on her fifth EP “Anja” coming out in Pride Month (June 25, 2021). The EP is dedicated to her first ever girlfriend, Anja. The first single, “She Knows It” was released along with a self-produced, directed, and edited music video. The third single to be released is “Stranger to Saviour” on June 4, 2021. X. ARI had a fantastic benefit show on May 13, 2021 hosted by Jack.org. At this Jack Music online event, she showcased her “Anja” EP and did a very personal interview about her experiences with mental health. Her next live show is in Los Angeles at El Cid on June 22, where she will be performing alongside trans artist, Ryan Cassata. For the entire month of May, she has been hosting “Mental Health Month with X. ARI”. It is a free online wellness and self-care festival with sessions by healers, teachers, advocates, artists, and organizations such as Jack.org, Be There, National Alliance on Mental Illness (San Fernando Valley & Westside LA), Free Arts, Vry, Pause+Expand, Over the Bridge, and more. Throughout the month she’s featuring powerful stories, Yoga, Guided Meditations, Sound-Baths, Coping Skills with NAMI, LGBTQIA+ x Mental Health, Film, Live Music, Sleep Hygiene, Crystal Healing, Cultural Diversity, Mindful Mantras, Intention Setting, and more! X. ARI aims to spark open conversation and hopes to normalize mental health and create an environment where everyone feels accepted, supported, and seen. X. ARI has wide eyes for the future of this festival and is currently discussing partnerships to create a live event in 2022 with the vision of becoming the “Coachella of Wellness” where creativity and self-care collide. It is X. ARI’s mission to use creativity to empower and raise awareness by using her platform to encourage others to turn their Pain into Power. Her goal is to make a global impact as an artist, songwriter, advocate, public speaker, and festival host to spread her message, light, and tool for recovery to help heal the world.