Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6608
LIVE: At what point did you come to realize that music was something that you wanted to do for the rest of your life? ORIANTHI: At age six. My father was, and still is, a guitar player and one day I picked up a guitar and started playing. It became my passion and I just wanted to keep learning more. I knew that it was going to be my path in life. LIVE: From Australia to the states, how was the transition and when did it come about? ORIANTHI: Well, I first came out in 2004 when I was invited to come over and play the NAMM show in the PRS booth. Since then, I had been going back and forth. Then I got signed to Geffen Records in 2006 and moved over permanently in 2007, so this is my second home. It's been great out here in LA. LIVE: So you have had an amazing ride so far. You've played with everyone from Carlos Santana to Michael Jackson and Prince. How does it feel to have played with so many legendary performers at such an early age? ORIANTHI: Pretty surreal. It doesn't really sink in until afterwards. Even then, it is still weird. Getting to play with Carlos Santana who was my idol and the reason I picked up electric guitar was unreal. Then to play with people like Prince and Michael Jackson was just crazy. It was a real honor. LIVE: Many people recognize you from the Michael Jackson documentary, "This Is It." How did that opportunity come about? ORIANTHI: Actually, through MySpace. I got an email from the musical director, Michael Bearden. He wanted me to come in and audition. I thought it was a joke. I was actually in the studio at the time. They had seen me perform on the Grammy Awards with Carrie Underwood and my manager reached out to him. We found out it was for real and so I went in and played "Beat It" for Michael Jackson and cranked it up for my guitar solo and prayed that I'd get it right. He hired us all that night and it was an amazing time. LIVE: I would imagine it must have been a pretty intense situation when all of you received the news of his passing? ORIANTHI: Yes, for everybody. We considered ourselves to be a big family and in working together, we had a real bond. It was really devastating. I wish he was still with us. We learned so much. Michael was so encouraging. It is really sad. LIVE: So your album, "Believe" is out now. How was the experience making this album and what kind of a sound is it? ORIANTHI: I've been making the record for about three years. The first year was spent coming over here to write it and then the second two years we spent recording it. I worked with Howard Benson. I am super proud of it, it's a real rock-pop record--eighties feel. It has Guitar solos on every track including an instrumental track that I wrote with Steve Vai. LIVE: I can't think of any legendary guitarists that are female. It seems that you are taking a path that very few women have taken in the music industry. ORIANTHI: Guitar for me is an outlet. It's the way I express myself and I just love to play music. It's my life. Having that is just awesome! Hopefully I can inspire a lot more young kids to pick up the guitar and keep at it and believe in themselves, never give up and follow their dreams.