The same day This Is It, the Michael Jackson film that showcased Orianthi’s incredible guitar skills to the world, is released on DVD, Orianthi’s debut album Believe has been re-released to include a bonus track, “Find It,” exclusively on iTunes. Additionally, her hit single “According To You” is iTunes‘ free ringtone download of the week.
After a whirlwind few months following the release of Believe and This Is It, Orianthi isn’t about to slow down any time soon. With her debut single “According To You” #10 at top 40 radio, and her album sitting at #2 on the Billboard New Artist chart, she performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Ellen DeGeneres Show last week.
Last week also marked the premiere of Orianthi’s new music video for “Highly Strung,” a blistering guitar duet between she and legendary guitarist Steve Vai, a long-time friend and mentor to the 24-year-old Australian. In the video, which premiered on AOL, the two phenoms face each other in a guitar show-down of epic proportions. Click here to watch.
Finally, for fans in the Los Angeles area, Orianthi will be hosting a free all-ages concert and CD signing at the Hard Rock Cafe outside Universal Studios on Friday, February 5th at 8:30 pm. Space is limited, so plan ahead for this unique opportunity! Visit the Hard Rock website for more details, and stay tuned to Orianthi.com for additional updates.
Long before Orianthi had a smash single, an album burning up the charts, or a gig with the King of Pop, the then 15-year-old prodigy was opening for one of her heroes, the legendary guitarist Steve Vai, at a gig in her hometown of Adelaide, Australia. Since then the two have been close friends and collaborated on the track “Highly Strung,” from Orianthi’s US debut album Believe.
Now, Vai and Orianthi appear together in a new music video for “Highly Strung,” which premiered recently on AOL’s Spinner. Check out the video now to watch the two guitarists trade riffs in an empty white room, with only a giant set of amps to set the scene. Afterwards, don’t miss the behind-the-scenes video from the set of the clip, featuring commentary from both musicians.
Believe features both “Highly Strung” and “According to You,” Orianthi’s first single. It is available now in stores and on iTunes.
After a whirlwind few months following the release of her debut album, Believe, and This Is It, the film that showcased her incredible guitar skills to the world, pop sensation Orianthi isn’t about to slow down any time soon. With her album ranked number one on Billboard’s New Artist chart this week, she will be performing her hit single “According to You” on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday, January 19th, and the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday, January 21st.
The 19th also marks the premiere of Orianthi’s new music video for “Highly Strung,” a blistering guitar duet between she and legendary guitarist Steve Vai, a long-time friend and mentor to the 24-year-old Australian beauty. In the video, premiering exclusively on AOL, the two phenoms will face each other in a guitar show-down of epic proportions.
Finally, for fans in the Los Angeles area, Orianthi will be hosting a free all-ages concert and CD signing at the Hard Rock Cafe outside Universal Studios on Friday, February 5th at 8:30 pm. Space is limited, so plan ahead for this unique opportunity! Visit the Hard Rock website for more details >
Believe, featuring “According to You” and “Highly Strung,” is available now in stores and on iTunes. Keep checking Orianthi.com for additional news and updates.
Get a glimpse into the making of Orianthi’s music video for “According to You,” the first single from her US debut Believe. The clip takes fans through the video scene-by-scene, and reveals the special technique behind the Guitar Hero-inspired segments of the video. Legendary guitarist Steve Vai was also on set to support his longtime friend and fellow shredder, and makes a cameo in the piece.
‘Believe’ is available now in stores and on iTunes.
Be sure to check out Icon Vs. Icon’s exclusive interview with Orianthi where she talks about her career, the making of ‘Believe’, working alongside The King of Pop and more! Read the interview here >
A new Michael Jackson song, which features Lenny Kravitz, has leaked to the web. A sample of the track, entitled ‘Another Day’, can be heard below.
‘Another Day’ is one of the first posthumous tracks by the singer, who died earlier this year, to be heard by fans since This Is It was leaked onto the web.
Last autumn, another previously unheard Jackson song, ‘This Is It’, was released alongside a documentary about his ill-fated comeback shows.
It is thought the star also recorded tracks with Akon and Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am.
At 24 years old, Orianthi has already experienced what most aspiring musicians may spend a lifetime trying to obtain. She has opened for Steve Vai, played with Carlos Santana, jammed with Prince and blew away the audience with her performance alongside Carrie Underwood at the Grammys. Most recently, this astounding guitar virtuoso was hand-picked to by the late King of Pop (Michael Jackson) to serve as the guitarist on his tour farewell tour and is featured prominently in the This Is It documentary which has thrilled countless fans worldwide. Armed with her guitar, some kick-ass guitar riffs and an adventurous spirit, this rising star has her sights set on becoming a full blown pop sensation! Jason Price of Icon Vs. Icon recently caught up with Orianthi to talk about her blossoming career, working alongside rock royalty, her debut album, “Believe,” and what the future holds for her.
How did music first come into your life?
When I was six, I picked up the guitar for the first time. My Dad had guitars all around the house. He is a guitarist and I would see him in great bands. He had records by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Carlos Santana, Elvis Presley and Eric Clapton. I would listen to those. When I was ten, I studied classical and then when I was eleven, I saw Carlos Santana perform in Adelaide, Australia. That is when I went to my Dad and said “I don’t want to play classical anymore, I want to play electric guitar!” I begged him for an electric and I got a second hand Paul Reed Smith and I never put it down! I wanted to learn as many Carlos Santana songs and solos as I could. I just love it!
What has kept you inspired throughout the years as an artist?
Just listening to different records and guitarists. I think that you can never stop learning from guitarists like Carlos Santana and Steve Vai. They are just amazing. They are my two idols and it is awesome to have their support and encouragement. I got to jam with Carlos when I was eighteen and that was a dream come true! When I was fifteen I got to open for Steve Vai in Adelaide, Australia and he kept in contact with me and we wrote a song for the record, Believe, which is called “Highly Strung”. It was a real honor to work with him.
You mentioned your debut album ‘Believe’. What can you tell us about the album for those who might not be familiar with it yet?
I set out to create a really commercial record, a pop-rock record that has lots of guitar solos that has sort of an “eighties now” vibe to it. I think that it is an empowering record. It’s not negative lyrically and I hope to inspire a lot more people to pick up the guitar, especially girls. I want them to keep at it and never give up because there aren’t too many female guitar players out there, so if I could inspire more, that would be awesome!
What can you tell us about the writing process for that record?
Well, when I first moved over from Adele to LA, I started writing. I went over and wrote in Nashville and in LA. I worked with some great songwriters . I love the whole process, ya know, of going into a room and sitting around to come up with something that you never thought you would have at the end of the day. I always come up with guitar riffs or sometimes I am humming melodies of chords and stuff, writing lyrics with different people, it just turns out differently each time. It’s not like when you go into a room and write a song by yourself. It may turn out completely the way you want it but when you have other people come in, they have other ideas that they bring to the table that you would never think of. I like that process! I think that it is really cool!
What was the biggest challenge in making the record?
Trying to make sure that all of the songs where really strong, chorus wise. I wanted to make a record that people could put into their car and not want to change. I worked with producer Howard Benson, who is an incredible producer, we very much focused on the choruses and not putting too much guitar playing into it. We wanted just enough so that it was still really guitar based, but not too much so that someone who is not a guitarist who is listening to it gets put off by it. So, I guess the challenge was balancing those elements. I am really proud of the record and hopefully it connects with a lot of people.
You are plugged into the different social networks like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. How have your fans been responding to the album?
They are really liking it! I am getting some very nice emails and support. It has been really good. They are waiting for us to get out and tour. I can’t wait to do that with the new stuff! We have been rehearsing as a band and playing the new stuff, so there will be more guitar solos live and we are looking at where to extend them. We have been having a lot of fun with it and the support has been great!
Are there are any concrete tour plans in the future or are you still working on that?
We are still waiting to hear who we are going to be touring with. At the moment, we are on this crazy radio/press tour, traveling around, meeting different people throughout the country and seeing more of America. It’s very cool!
Hopefully you like what you have seen so far!
Oh yeah, definitely!
Many people got their initial exposure to you and your guitar skills through Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’. How did you get that gig?
I actually got the gig through Myspace. I got an email from Mike Beardon. He saw me jamming at the Grammy Awards with Carrie Underwood. He reached out to me through Myspace and I didn’t think that it was for real. He told me to learn “Beat It”, “Dirty Diana” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”. I learned the tracks and I was super nervous but I went in and played for Mike Beardon and Michael Jackson came in one night and I played “Beat It” with a cranked up guitar solo. MJ was looking right at me and I was very nervous. I have never been that nervous in my life! He hired us all that night. It seemed like a dream! It was awesome playing for him.
I am sure that you have seen the film by now, right?
Yeah, I have seen it twice.
Did it capture that moment in time accurately, as far as your experience goes?
Oh yeah, totally! There were cameras around all the time and for me I almost became unaware of them being there because you are so focused on your part, what you are doing and trying to make Michael happy with what you were doing. I don’t think that you are going to see a “more real” movie. It is a documentary that invites you into our world for three months. I think that Kenny (Ortega) did an awesome job of putting it together, it really makes you feel like you were there. The first time I saw it was very emotional and I didn’t know how I was going to sit through it. The second time, it was a look back at incredible memories of working with a musical icon that I looked up to immensely.
What is your fondest memory from working alongside The King of Pop?
Ya know, he just wanted the best out of all of us. He was a perfectionist but he was very kind with it. I remember one time, just after I had auditioned for him, I was walking down the corridor of where were were rehearsing. Michael was coming down with his bodyguard and there was nobody else around. I was wearing a hat and I didn’t have my hair down like when he had seen me before in the audition, so I didn’t know if he would recognize me. I thought I might just run away into a room or something but then I decided to just be normal and say hello to him! He was really nice and grabbed my hand and said hello and “God bless you. I will see you soon!” He was just really a kind person and didn’t seem to have an ego. That made me smile for the rest of the day!
You have worked with such musical icons as Carlos Santana, Steve Vai and Michael Jackson, of course. I was curious to know who else you might like to collaborate with in the future?
I would love to do a some with B.B. King or Eric Clapton. That would be awesome! Prince! That would be really cool! I got to jam with Prince but we never recorded anything but that would be terrific. Also, Keith Urban. I am a big country fan.
What do you hope that people come away with after listening to your music or seeing your live performance?
As a band, we just love playing. We want to keep that child-like spirit up and inspire to pick up the guitar and have fun. Hopefully, when people see us live they think we are a very powerful band. We work really hard to make sure all of the parts compliment each other, so hopefully people will get inspired and pick up the guitar when they get home, that would be awesome!
How did you first get involved with Paul Reed Smith and what has that experience been like for you?
It’s been great! I love his guitars! Like I said, after seeing Santana I begged for a guitar and it had to be a Paul Reed Smith. So I got a second hand Custom 24. When I was fourteen, I actually made a demo and sent it out to Paul and he wrote back to me. He really liked it. Then when I was eighteen, I got to jam with Carlos in Australia and he took that DVD of us jamming to Paul. Paul invited me over to the NAMM show and I came over to play in the booth. I think it was in 2005, I was with Carlos there and his son was in the audience. He knew my A&R guy and he asked for my MP3s and forwarded it on to Ron Fair, who I auditioned for and that is how I got my record deal. That is kinda how it happened. Paul has been super-supportive and there is some exciting news coming up in January! I’m not going to say what, but I am really excited! It is really exciting to be working with him. He is a great guy, really supportive and I just really love his guitars. I think that he is the best guitar maker in the world!
You have worked with so many icons from the industry in your career. What is the best piece of advice someone has given you along the way?
I got a lot of advice from Steve Vai and Carlos Santana. Just play from your heart, play what you feel. that is what I learned from them. Also, never stop learning. I think it is very important to keep on evolving as a player and to learn from other people. Every one I play with, be it a drummer, bass player or a guitar player, everyone approaches it differently. We all come from a different musical world and I think it is really important to learn as much as a you can from each other. When I sit back and I am eighty-five, I want to still be able to move forward as a player and not just be stuck in one place, if you know what I mean. So yeah, it is very important to never stop learning.
Have you had a ‘Spinal Tap Moment’ on stage where something totally unexpected has happened to you?
Yeah! I used to play in a cover band from when I was about fifteen until I was about twenty in Adelaide. We used to play two or three nights a week, Top 40 stuff. We played a wedding one time out in the country. This one guy was really drunk and poured his beer into the fold-back and the wedges, the power went out and he fell. During his fall he hit the mic which bruised my lip and he fell into the bass drum! [laughs] That was very… dramatic! [laughs] It is kinda funny looking back on it but it wasn’t funny at the time. But yeah, I try not to trip over chords, especially when I am wearing high heels. It was a challenge running up in wedges for the ‘This Is It’ show. I was thinking the whole time that I was going to land on my butt! [laughs] As a guitar player, I don’t know if we have the best sense of direction but trying to find the stage with the band is sometimes a challenge! Definitely Spinal Tap! [laughs]
Is there anything else you want to add or let your fans know?
Yeah! Thank you so much for your support! I really appreciate it. I read all of the emails, I can’t reply to all of them but I love reading them and I try to reply to as many as I can! Thank you, everyone!
2009 has been quite a big year for you and I am sure 2010 will be even bigger. All the best to you!
Thank you!
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Get all the latest information on Orianthi at her official website, www.orianthi.com. You can also connect with her on Myspace or Twitter! Be sure to check out her debut album, Believe, on iTunes!
Michael Jackson’s This Is It DVD was originally slated to be released prior to Christmas, but due to a regulation that usually forces studios to wait a minimum 90 days before releasing a new film to DVD, it has been pushed to a late January or early February DVD release, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Because the film will only have a two-week theatrical run, Sony executives argued that a This Is It DVD should circumvent the agreement between theater owners and movie studios, but the theater chains relented.
The AP reports that Sony will submit the documentary for Academy Award consideration in categories ranging from film editing and sound to Best Picture and Best Director. Unfortunately, the most noteworthy category in which This Is It had the best chances of competing, the Best Documentary Oscar, already passed its deadline, making Jackson’s rehearsal footage film ineligible.
The film will also be ineligible for the Golden Globes, as it doesn’t recognize documentaries. Because this year’s Oscars will feature an expanded Best Picture field of 10 nominees, based on its rave reviews it’s plausible that This Is It could score an Oscar nod.
For fans of Orianthi, This Is It – her debut album Believe is out today. The 24-year-old guitar goddess has released 11 anthemic tracks, best described by Orianthi herself as “rock-pop with an 80’s vibe.”
Produced by the famed Howard Benson (The All-American Rejects, Kelly Clarkson), the album features guitar solos on every song and lyrics that beg to be sung along with. Orianthi’s single, “According to You,” is available for free on iTunes as the Single of the Week, while other highlights include the hard-rocking “Bad News” and the instrumental track “Highly Strung,” a duet with legendary guitarist Steve Vai. Visit Orianthi’s Myspace for more information, and be sure to grab Believe today in stores or on iTunes.
Also out now is the music video for “According to You.” Watch Orianthi’s fingers fly across the fretboard as she rocks out with her band, proving yet again that a little attitude and a lot of talent can go a long way.
Orianthi first picked up a guitar at age 6 and since then has never looked back. She has opened for Steve Vai, played with Carlos Santana, ZZ Top and Prince, and blew away the Grammy audience with her performance alongside Carrie Underwood. Most recently she was hand-picked to by the late King of Pop himself to be the guitarist on his tour, and she is featured prominently in This Is It, the Michael Jackson documentary to be released this Wednesday, the 28th.
With less than a week left to go before the release of her debut album, Believe, singer/songwriter/renowned guitarist Orianthi is the talk of the town. After playing with music icons like Steve Vai, Carlos Santana, ZZ Top, and winning the spot as Michael Jackson’s lead guitarist for his comeback tour, this 24-year-old Australian beauty is ready to go out on her own with an album that perfectly blends the best parts of pop and rock music – catchy, relatable lyrics, infectious hooks and incredible guitar shredding.
For those who still want to know more about Orianthi, check out this 3 minute EPK to watch her dish about how she got to where she is today, her influences, Michael Jackson, and her new record Believe.
Believe hits stores Tuesday, October 27th and features her first single “According to You.” Visit her official Myspace page to hear the song and for more information.
The same day This Is It, the Michael Jackson film that showcased Orianthi’s incredible guitar skills to the world, is released on DVD, Orianthi’s debut album Believe has been re-released to include a bonus track, “Find It,” exclusively on iTunes. Additionally, her hit single “According To You” is iTunes‘ free ringtone download of the week.
What was the biggest challenge in making the record?
I actually got the gig through Myspace. I got an email from Mike Beardon. He saw me jamming at the Grammy Awards with Carrie Underwood. He reached out to me through Myspace and I didn’t think that it was for real. He told me to learn “Beat It”, “Dirty Diana” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”. I learned the tracks and I was super nervous but I went in and played for Mike Beardon and Michael Jackson came in one night and I played “Beat It” with a cranked up guitar solo. MJ was looking right at me and I was very nervous. I have never been that nervous in my life! He hired us all that night. It seemed like a dream! It was awesome playing for him.
What do you hope that people come away with after listening to your music or seeing your live performance?
Have you had a ‘Spinal Tap Moment’ on stage where something totally unexpected has happened to you?
Michael Jackson’s 
For fans of 
