Orianthi Panagaris was born on 22nd January 1985 in Sydney, Australia and started playing guitar when she was six years old. By the age of fifteen, she was the opening act for Steve Vai in her first stage appearance. In fact, if the information I have is correct, it was her first gig. Vai took to her immediately and they became firm friends. Steve actually played a duet with her in a music video called 'Highly Strung' where Orianthi shows just how good she really is on that guitar. Virtually unknown in Britain, her first single, 'According to you', didn't get higher than 77 and the following two singles 'Shut up and kiss me' and 'Courage' with Lacey Sturm didn't even feature, which is possibly the greatest sin against music I can think of. She's one of those people who's not only a good singer, but rips that guitar a new one every time she plays it - or, as Steve Vai said, "plays the shit out of it." Still only twenty-five, she's already played with such luminaries as BB King, Carlos Santana, Steve Vai and played lead guitar for Micheal Jackson's 'This Is It', yet here in England, no-one I know would know who the hell you were talking about. Perhaps this video will help them understand...
I have to admit, being an old git (fifty in December), I don't always follow what's new and true to form, I was looking for a Steve Vai video when I stumbled upon this following video of him with Orianthi doing a duet for 'Highly Strung'. Naturally, I figured that as with 'Crossroads' and many other videos, Via would be playing and Orianthi - whoever she was - would be miming. Truth is, they're both miming, but they're miming to themselves having already recorded the track in the studio. No Nick, this girl can shred the hell out of that guitar and don't you forget it.
So far be it for me to cast doubt on the future of this girl, because her rise to inevitable fame will be well deserved. I think Steve himself said it best - I'll let him tell you as we see the making of 'Highly Strung'... Over to you, Steve.
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Related Links...
Visit Orianthi's web page and tell her where you found her... please |
