Orianthi - According To You [Brand New 2009].mpg

Orianthi Panagaris or Orianthi (born January 22, 1985) is an Australian guitarist. Her style is often compared to other virtuosos such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eddie Van Halen. Orianthi is most known for being Michael Jackson's guitarist for his comeback tour This Is It.

Orianthi was born in Adelaide, Australia, of half Greek descent. She learned to play the acoustic guitar at six because of her father, started electric when she was eleven and left school at 15 to focus on writing songs and performing. She has been playing in different friends' bands since she was 14 in England and in France. Her first support show was for Steve Vai aged 15. Orianthi had the opportunity to meet and jam with Carlos Santana when she was 18.[5] He invited Orianthi to get up and jam with him at soundcheck then later asked if she would join him on stage that night to jam.[3] She is signed with Geffen Records in late 2006, and in 2008 struck a management deal with 19 Entertainment and currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Orianthi has played with Prince, made a video clip for Panasonic HD, had a song on the Bratz movie, played at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival, appeared in The New York Times business section promoting Eco-friendly acoustic guitars, and was named in the 12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists. She also appeared at the 51st annual Grammy Awards as Carrie Underwood's lead guitarist, with Underwood inviting Orianthi to become a member of her band.

Orianthi was also Michael Jackson's lead guitarist and was present on all rehearsals for his This Is It tour before his death. In regards to being handpicked by Jackson, she stated:

“ I don’t know exactly why he picked me, but he watched myvideos and loved them. He had his choice of guitar players, but I came in and played the ‘Beat It’ solo for him. Afterward he was so happy he got up and grabbed my arm and started walking up and down the stage area with me. He said, ‘Can you play once for me?’ He hired me that night. I wish he was still around. He made me believe in myself more, and I learned so much. Going into it, I thought it would be all about playing guitar solos. But the majority of it was playing chords and funky rhythms. ”

She played and sang at Jackson's memorial, globally televised live on July 7, 2009. She appears in the film Michael Jackson's This Is It, which chronicles the rehearsals for the tour. Her hit single song "According to You" was the Single of the Week on iTunes on October 27, 2009


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