We recently had the chance to connect with Monika Arenas and have shared our conversation below.
Monika, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Sitting at my altar, journaling, meditating, stretching or doing any form of body movement, and playing instruments! This type of mash up is a typical morning routine for me 😉
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Monika Arenas, also known as XAMONIKA — I’m a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and sound alchemist creating music that bridges worlds and brings people back to their hearts. My songs weave between medicine music, organic house, and acoustic prayer, often blending English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Indigenous languages to carry messages of healing, hope, and remembrance.
Before stepping back fully into music (I grew up playing multiple instruments and singing with my family as long as I can remember), I spent a decade working as a licensed dietitian, helping people transform their relationship with food, body, and self-worth. That chapter of my life taught me so much about healing from the inside out — not just through nutrition, but through energy, frequency, and intention. At 29, I felt a deep calling to bring music back into my life and step into the gifts my ancestors left me — not as entertainment, but as medicine.
Today, my work lives at the intersection of sound, the healing arts and coaching clients in holistic health. Whether performing live, leading sound journeys, or DJing ecstatic dance sets, my intention is to guide people into deeper connection — with themselves, with nature, and with the sacred pulse of life.
My upcoming album, El Soplo del Cielo, is an offering of connection and gratitude to life and a celebration of what it means to truly be alive.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
At 16 years I was in a bus crash in Colombia with my family in which my mother, grandfather and family friends passed away. My life was spared by changing seats for my mother to sit next to me. I was by her side in her last breaths and was able to walk away from that accident with minimal physical injuries, yet a lot of emotional injuries to work through. Her brother (my Uncle), was very close with her and he was by my side to help me through those years discover a new relationship with her as a Spirit that’s not on this earth and taught me a lot about the spiritual path I currently walk. From those years I began exploring chakras, meditation, energy, healing modules and miracles. I began developing a path of connection with something greater than what the naked eye could see which brought me a lot of peace, for there were many questions I had left unanswered when my mother and grandfather passed so suddenly in such a tragic way.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
In my mid 20’s I picked up playing guitar again. I had my mother’s guitar who sang and played often for me growing up. I had suppressed a lot of emotions due to her passing and had quietly given up on trying to play guitar around 12 years old. My brother is a music producer and encouraged me to google chords and songs I like and to learn them on my own. So I spent many nights solo, exploring new songs on guitar that could move the emotions that I had pent up for so long. I began playing Shakira, Jewel, No Doubt, artists I grew up listening to in the 90’s that spoke so deeply to me. I found my love for singing in Spanish and also started bringing my own poetry into subtle strumming which helped shape the songs I have coming out in this album.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I love to embody different archetypes and styles, as a gemini moon in western astrology (gemini rising + venus in vedic) I love being a bit of a chameleon and playing in a variety of ways. I’ve dyed my hair every color and have experimented so much with my fashion it’s hard to say what’s real in public vs. private because I focus on embodying what I feel in the moment. One day I could look super girly and pretty and the next like a rockstar with a messy bun and no makeup! I’m not so attached to how people perceive me as much as how I feel about myself in the moment. One day you might see me perform in a small sound journey and feel a very different energy and personality come through than the version of me that’s singing in a venue with a DJ late at night. I think that’s the fun part of being human, it’s getting to play with all parts of myself that wants to be expressed – as long as I feel it’s coming from my heart and I’m feeling confident, I’ll take that as the real me.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing?
Working on creating a family with a loving and devoted partner and best friend – this is one of my lifelong dreams! After losing almost every family member to a tragic ending and not having them around to enjoy life with, it’s extremely important for me to create a new legacy and path for my gifts to be passed down and expressed by those that I bring into this world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.monikaarenas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xa.monika/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580615289973
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@xamonika
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/xamonika
