Some Info On Orianthi

Well, for all of you who don't know, Orianthi Panagaris is an amazing Australian Guitarist/Singer. She was the female guitarist in "This Is It". She also sings the song "According To You" which is pretty popular in the US right now. She also looks kind of like Avril Lavigne.

Well I just bought her album today, because I like her. She is a sweet girl and I think she is an amazing guitarist and a great singer. I read her thank you's in the album and she does thank Michael, Kenny, Mike Mcknight and Mike Bearden. It says, "Michael Jackson - Such an icon and wonderful person. I am so grateful I was able to play music with you; I have amazing memories that will be with me forever. You have left us all to soon, R.I.P. * Mike Bearden /Mike Mcknight / Kenny Ortega - thank you for giving me the opportunity to audition for the MJ band, I had an amazing time working with you!" I am starting to believe that she did write "God Only Knows" for Michael, but maybe not. Apparently she was working on her newest album that came out in October, "Believe", before she even auditioned for Michael.

Also, if you look on her myspace, she also states a lot. I will paste it all right here in quotes:
"A Message From Orianthi:

I wanted to thank you all for your support and messages. I am so grateful to have been able to play guitar with Michael Jackson and the band. Working with Michael was a life-changing experience, one I will never forget. It was awesome watching Michael dance and sing at rehearsals with us. He looked so happy. He was a musical icon and wonderful person and he has left us all too soon. I am really saddened by Michael’s passing and send my deepest condolences to his family.

You will be hearing more from me soon as I need some time to reflect. Keep checking back - the new official website will launch here soon!

- Peace and love Ori

At 24 years old, Orianthi has already experienced what most aspiring musicians only dream of. She's opened for her hero (Steve Vai), backed an Idol (Carrie Underwood), traded solos with a legend (Carlos Santana) and shared the stage with the King of Pop (Michael Jackson). What's left to conquer? The world stage, for one, and this guitar wunderkind has her sights clearly set on the road ahead.

After a performance with Carrie Underwood on stage at the 2009 Grammy Awards the blogosphere was buzzing with news of this little-known guitar prodigy. It prompted Michael Jackson to call with an offer for her to be his guitarist for his dates at the O2 Arena in London. When offered the gig in Michael Jackson’s live band, Orianthi joined a prestigious line of guitar players including Eddie Van Halen, Santana, Slash, Steve Stevens, Jennifer Batten and Larry Carlton. Sadly the tour was not to be and music lost an icon. “Working with Michael was a life-changing experience,” Orianthi reflects, “One I will never forget.”

Her story starts in Adelaide on the southern tip of Australia where, at the age of six, Orianthi began taking an interest in her dad's record collection. "Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Cream, Santana… he was into guitar players that are real songwriters," she boasts. Growing up in the 80s, a decade remembered for its many guitar greats, Orianthi also listened to a lot of Whitesnake, Van Halen and Def Leppard. Her father, who used to be a player in a Greek band, also kept plenty of instruments around the house, and it didn't take long before Orianthi strummed her first chord. Mastering the six-string came naturally.

"When I was 11, Carlos Santana came to play Adelaide and that show really affected me," she recounts. “I begged my dad to get me a second hand electric guitar so I could be like Carlos, and that was it, no more acoustic. After that, I would buy all of Carlos' videos — on VHS! — which I kept rewinding to try and learn his solos. I totally wore out the tapes."

Some seven years later when Carlos Santana passed through Adelaide again Carlos' brother arranged a sound-check meeting between the guitar god and his young disciple after hearing some of her music. A sound check jam evolved into an invitation to join him on stage where Orianthi played for about 35 minutes and took a solo in front of a hometown crowd. Performances, tours and guest appearances with Steve Vai, ZZ Top and Prince have kept Orianthi busy up to this point.

But guitar is far from Orianthi’s only means of expression. Before she received the call from the King of Pop, Orianthi had already been hard at work on her upcoming album, Believe, on which she sings, writes and leads her own band. Working with Geffen Records Chairman and A&R veteran Ron Fair and producer Howard Benson (All American Rejects, Daughtry, My Chemical Romance, Three Days Grace) her fierceness of character has made its way to songs that will simply knock the socks off of any boy in the rock star schoolyard.

Orianthi packs modern girl-power punch into every turn of phrase, but it’s the shredding that takes her brand of rock to an entirely new level. Songs like “Suffocated” and “Think Like A Man” are anthemic rock tracks recalling at time Evanescence, Avril Lavigne, Paramore and even a less-music row more-sunset strip Taylor Swift. First single “According To You” is a catchy tale of an ungrateful boyfriend with a killer guitar solo. The result: a thunderous, hook and riff driven debut that sounds larger than life. If, for a moment, you’ve thought the music world could use another taste of The Runaways’ Joan Jett, let us introduce you to Orianthi."

Oh yeah! Michael is her top friend on Myspace.
She has almost everyone else from "This Is It" in her top friends too.

NOTE: Orianthi is NOT a new artist. She has had a previous album called "Violet Journey"! I do think that being in "This Is It" has helped her album though.

This is what Orianthi looks like if it helps you understand who she is. Here's one with her and Michael directly from "This Is It".

To learn a bit about Orianthi herself, check out this link:
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/whos-michael-jacksons-guitarist-meet-orianthi-211781

Thank you for all of this info. When I saw This Is It, I thought she was AMAZING! And, now I keep seeing her pop up now and then, and I am so happy for her. I hope she has an awesome career. I think I may have to go get her album also. I enoyed learning a little more about her. Thanks again for this info.

I love her! She's such an AMAZING guitar player, it's unbelivable! I also had her CD, and " God Only Knows" made me cry. Haha. But I LOVE " According To You".

No problem Robin!

Jen, I also like "God Only Knows". "According To You" is okay. Now that I heard her whole album, "According To You" is like my sixth favorite. LOL! My favorite songs by her are "God Only Knows", "Suffocated", and "Highly Strung" (because the whole song is her playing the guitar and she shows off her mad skills XD).

i got the album for christmas (:
i payed like £15 though cause she's not popular at all here so i had to get the US import...
my favorites are god only knows (made me cry aswell ) and highly strung (:

p.s on that picture i would die if MJ was up close to me like that haha xD

lucylovesmjforever wrote:i got the album for christmas (:
i payed like £15 though cause she's not popular at all here so i had to get the US import...
my favorites are god only knows (made me cry aswell ) and highly strung (:

p.s on that picture i would die if MJ was up close to me like that haha xD

Haha! We all would.... Well we all would at least faint. LOL!

yay highly strung has a video now (:
awesomeeeee xD

That was really good. I LOVE her guitar!! Thank you for finding this and posting.

lucylovesmjforever wrote:yay highly strung has a video now (:
awesomeeeee xD

Lucy, "Highly Strung" has had a video for a while now. XD

I only just found it xD
lol (:

I wish Orianthi was popular here, she's so awesome ;D

lucylovesmjforever wrote:I only just found it xD
lol (:

I wish Orianthi was popular here, she's so awesome ;D

Oh I saw it about two weeks ago. I think it's been out for months now. xD

really?
haha silly me ;D

lucylovesmjforever wrote:really?
haha silly me ;D

I've always wanted to play the guitar, but Orianthi really makes me want to learn to play. And that video makes me want to learn to play even more!

i play guitar, but acoustic/classical
she makes me wanna play electric though (:

lucylovesmjforever wrote:i play guitar, but acoustic/classical
she makes me wanna play electric though (:

I only know how to play 3 notes on acoustic. I never got the chance to finish learning. I want to learn how to play both.