"Ariana is two people in one. She’s a normal nice demure 21-year-old, but when she begins to sing her entire body is taken over by the most powerful force, and the songs become a lot more than just words or music…. her stage presence is the most visually grabbing I’ve ever seen. I was stunned at the intense connection between herself and what she was singing; I thought of the strength of character that embodied Janis Joplin’s performances.”
Steve Wozniak –Apple Computers co-founder
"Ariana Gillis is a singer-songwriter who embraces a surprising
style, a genre of her own, and a sound that places out there
the question of `how far is too far?' Her songs have a fantastic
groove about them, a witty interpretation of life and a stamina
to just keep pushing." – ★★★★☆
Laura Bethell – Maverick Magazine
Ariana Gillis was so alive with song, vitality, imagination, strength, playfulness and focus when she hit the main stage at Blue Skies Music Festival this summer! Folks all around me, were saying, “Who is she?” “She’s Amazing!” “Her voice is so flexible!” You never know what musical tricks Ariana is going to pull out of her musical bag! Every festival should be booking her to play! She truly is an amazing and talented songwriter/musician!
Julia Phillips
Artist Director
Blue Skies Music Festival
"Ariana Gillis may be the best new emerging artist anywhere, PERIOD!"
– Dave Marsh, best selling author, former music critic of
_Rolling Stone Magazine & Creem Magazine. +
Ariana at the Black Sheep in Wakefield, QC
Superbly aided and supported by two male musicians, a marvelously soft percussionist and her father, a superb player of the six-string banjo or the dobro, Ariana Gillis knocked it out of the park. She's got everything, songwriting skills, natural stage presence, great melodic sense, and that rarest of qualities: charisma.
The crowd was a little sparse (snow storm) but chatty; after all,
it was Saturday night. She was on stage, alone at the time, and she just started singing in a fairly sharp and strong voice for about two bars; the next two were softer, and damned if she didn’t get the whole crowd to hush, including one particularly
loud table.
It didn’t take long to realise that she has all the qualities to become as big as she would like to be.
She’s got everything, her voice can be big or small, acidic or more rounded, strong or soft, and she’s got taste. She doesn’t “go for effect”, doesn’t seem particularly me-me-me. She may
be all of 20, I'm not sure. Hell, she's touring with her dad!
Go see her and get wowed. A great musical trio.
"A blast of energy and fearless confidence, Ariana Gillis sings and strums and stomps and leaves ripples behind her wherever she goes. With an impressive vocal range and a firm grasp on the craft of songwriting, Ariana is unstoppable. In 2009, she won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Young Performer of the Year and she has received multiple Niagara Music Awards. There is an intense, driving force behind her folk/pop sound, and a deeper story behind every song."
– Andy Frank, Roots Music Canada
The way new musik should be
I heard "blueberry ocean" while listning to CBC radio one night and I got hooked and I'm so glad this is finally on itunes. Ariana Gillis has a voice made for pop, lyrics made for folk and a package that works in her native Ontario as well as it does down here in Florida where I've been listning to this non-stop. I hope she maintains the voice, the style and the songs because they're great!
- by Rainking1107
Over the last few years I have had the opportunity to hear and observe Ariana Gillis perform in several varied venues — a showcase of young artists at the OCFF conference, an intimate nightclub, a folk festival workshop stage. I've been in this business for well over 35 years and consider myself a pretty good judge of talent.... she's got it all!." – Wendell Ferguson
"Beautiful, dynamic vocals; strong songs and stage presence –
this gal's going places!" – Suzie Vinnick