She is a young and fabulous female musician with fingers that were made to play the guitar. Orianthi Panagaris may not be a household name as of yet, but creeping out of the shadows as Michael Jackson’s guitarist, Orianthi is ready to take the world by storm. Read an exclusive interview with the talented guitarist from Australia here.
Orianthi Panagaris grew up in Adelaide, Australia and even as a young girl, music was a huge part of this young lady’s life.
Believe it or not, Orianthi is already a renowned musician. She has been playing guitar since the age of eleven and was discovered by legend and her idol Carlos Santana. Yes, I said it. Carlos! Talk about an honor!
But that isn’t even the crust of her career. At 24 years old, Orianthi has already played guitar with artists like Carrie Underwood, ZZ Top, and Prince! And if that isn’t cool enough for you all, she received a MySpace message from Michael Jackson’s musical director asking her to audition for his comeback tour. Following a test run with the King of Pop himself, she was selected as his lead guitarist for his O2 arena dates in London – a crowning achievement for Panagaris and possibly the greatest compliment one can arguably receive. Even though she was not able to tour with the King of Pop due to his unexpected death, the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It, has familiarized millions with her name as she appears in the film alongside Jackson.
Not only does she rock at the guitar, Orianthi also has a gorgeous voice that was heard worldwide at Michael Jackson’s Staples Center memorial service. What many people don’t know is that even before she started rehearsals for Jackson’s tour, she was hard at work writing and recording her very own debut album with her band.
Believe, the debut album from Panagaris, was released in October of 2009. Believe is full of anthemic rock tracks with a sound reminiscent of Paramore or Evanescence, but entirely Orianthi thanks to her signature shreds and thunderous hooks. Her first single, “According to You” is a catchy tale of an ungrateful boyfriend, featuring a killer guitar solo, played by herself. LOVE it!
If you haven’t heard of her yet, get ready to hear a lot about her very soon as she takes the music industry by storm.
Check out the exclusive Orianthi Panagaris interview below.
