Adolescence can be brutal, and following your passion often comes at a price. Australian-born guitarist Orianthi Panagaris knows these things all too well, but she never let them stop her. Nor, she says, should you. She fell in love with the guitar as a preschooler, began playing at age six, and by the time she reached her mid-teens, left school to pursue music full-time, in part because she could no longer tolerate the physical and verbal harassment from classmates who resented and mocked her talent. Half a lifetime later, she is a respected guitarist, singer, and songwriter, in demand by A-list artists who want to work with her (Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, and Carrie Underwood, to name a few) and top manufacturers who want to partner with her to design and represent their gear.
Millions of fans adore her, and young women consider her a role model. It would be easy for her to coast on her success, but instead, she is always working toward her next goal and has not forgotten the climb that got her to the top.
Excerpt from interview “Fostering Unity and Self-Expression Through Six Strings and the Truth” by Alison Richter as seen on Guitar Girl Magazine
She recently collaborated with Gibson Guitars on a new signature acoustic, called the Orianthi SJ-200 – Cherry and aptly described on Gibson’s website as a fiery guitar for a fiery artist. Orianthi is also a PRS endorsed artist with her own PRS signature guitar, an Orange Amps ambassador, and has her own signature pedals with NEXI Industries.