Orianthi

Real name Orianthi Penny Panagaris, guitarist and singer Orianthi was born on January 22, 1985 in Adelaide (Australia), but holds dual Australian and British nationality. She was only 6 when her father taught her to play acoustic guitar. A little later, she discovered the electric guitar, and this was a real revelation for her, prompting her not only to persevere, but also to get involved in several bands in England and France as a teenager. Her highly technical style, often compared to that of her masters Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Carlos Santana, soon opened doors for her. At the end of 2006, she signed her first recording contract with Geffen Records. She then appeared in the charts of the best guitarists on the circuit, performing alongside the likes of Prince and Carrie Underwood. In 2009, having already released a solo album(Violet Journey in 2007), she was chosen by Michael Jackson to be the guitarist on his This Is It tour, which did not take place following the singer's death in June of the same year. She consoled herself with the success of her second solo album Believe, No. 88 in Australia, No. 77 in the United States and, above all, No. 4 in Japan, where she is much appreciated. In 2011, she joined Alice Cooper's band, which she left in 2014, and also played alongside Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), her partner in the duo RSO. In parallel, she pursues her solo career, punctuated by the albums Heaven in This Hell in 2013 (No. 38 in Japan), O in 2020 (No. 60) and Rock Candy in 2022 (No. 72). In 2025, the single "First Time Blues", featuring Joe Bonamassa, heralded the release of Some Kind of Feeling, which reached No. 1 in the British Jazz & Blues charts.