“’Walk With Me’ was written really fast, and that one is about togetherness.”
― Orianthi
“I have an aquarium full of fish and some Mexican walking fish.”
― Orianthi
“My outlook on life is to keep looking up. If you’re looking down, you don’t see the light. For me, it’s all about embracing that and thinking positively.”
― Orianthi
“I just love food and the art of it. There’s such an art to being a good chef and the way you present food and the different ingredients you use. It’s like music – you get inspiration from different genres. It’s the same with art, too.”
― Orianthi
“I love all animals. I’m such an animal lover.”
― Orianthi
“Music is not a sport – one is not better than the other. You just like what you like and get inspired.”
― Orianthi
“I think people see me, and they can’t get past my looks or the fact that a girl can be serious about playing the guitar.”
― Orianthi
“I’m so excited to share ‘Heaven In This Hell’ with the fans!”
― Orianthi
“So many people have gone through the experience of not feeling good enough.”
― Orianthi
“The She Rocks Awards does so much for women in music, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
― Orianthi
“Being a female guitar player back in school wasn’t great, and I had to change schools so many times. The male drummers and bass players thought it was cool, but male guitar players said, ‘It’s a guy’s thing. You should be doing something else, like playing the harp.’”
― Orianthi
“I think you can hear the Delta blues thing in something like the intro to ‘Heaven in This Hell,’ which has that down-home acoustic riff.”
― Orianthi
“When you’re up on stage, especially being a female guitar player in a male-dominated field, if they just see you’re into it, and it’s your passion, and you’re just giving it your all – it’s not, like, an accessory – then it’s all cool.”
― Orianthi
“I just like to experiment.”
― Orianthi
“I knew from when I was six that music would be my life, and I used to spend most of my time in the music room.”
― Orianthi
“I’m a fan of stuff that’s on the radio that just gets you moving or whatever, and you’re in the car.”
― Orianthi
“’Livin’ on a Prayer,’ ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ – those are iconic songs.”
― Orianthi
“I think it’s important to evolve and make a different record every time as an artist.”
― Orianthi
“I think if you can get the right bunch of people together, and you’re in the room and it just feels right, then the music will come.”
― Orianthi
“I’m a big country fan.”
― Orianthi
“I’m a rock/blues guitar player. I’m not wanting to be a pop star or anything.”
― Orianthi
“When I was around 11, my dad took me to see Santana live, and then I got ‘Sacred Fire,’ and everything changed for me.”
― Orianthi
“My dad is actually an amazing guitarist, and he always had an incredible record collection, which is how I discovered things like Jimi Hendrix and Santana. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
― Orianthi
“I was inspired to play electric guitar from listening to a lot of Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and B.B. King, and that’s always been the kind of music that I gravitate toward.”
― Orianthi
“Being the frontperson is great because you’re running the show.”
― Orianthi
“Getting ready for a tour is a big process, and I enjoy every part of it.”
― Orianthi
“I’m all about inspiring young musicians to get out there and express themselves through music.”
― Orianthi
“Beats are really inspiring. They always make me want to write something over them.”
― Orianthi
“A great guitar solo is really a song within a song. You can always go off and do your pageantry, but it has to be structured.”
― Orianthi
“My favorite solos are all very melodic. Those are the ones that are the most memorable.”
― Orianthi
“If somebody likes your videos, they’re gonna tell their friends. They’re gonna send e-mails about you, and before you know it, your name is getting around.”
― Orianthi
“Being promoted as a bubble-gum type artist that has one hit and it’s all over is not something I want to do. I want a long career. I want to continue to play guitar and have as much guitar in there as possible in a commercial song without being too indulgent.”
― Orianthi
“I play a PRS Custom 22. I learned on a Custom 24. It was set for a country guitarist, so it had a really high action.”
― Orianthi
“I like to just plug in and play; I don’t use a lot of effects.”
― Orianthi
“I’d like to be able to get more girls to play guitar. I think with a girl playing electric guitar, sometimes it’s seen a bit like a guy doing ballet. All the people I learned guitar from have been guys. There are some great female players, like Bonnie Raitt and Jennifer Batten, but very few.”
― Orianthi
“I swear that he is an alien. There is something about his phrasing that is so unpredictable and cool. It makes you wonder where it came from. I wish I could play like that. I listen to Jeff Beck and think, ‘Bloody hell!’ The way that Jeff Beck and his band play together is just amazing. Yeah, those guys definitely come from another planet.”
― Orianthi
“My dad is a guitar player with huge vinyl record collection. I loved listening to his albums, especially Cream and The Yardbirds.”
― Orianthi
“Eric Clapton was such a great player. He sounds like he’s Freddie King or someone like that. He plays the roots of blues and Delta blues. He really affected me with the way that he plays, because he never really plays that many notes.”
― Orianthi
“My dad used to listen to Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and my mom liked Michael Bolton and Roy Orbison. She was pretty big into country music, too. So there was a wealth of music being played in the house, and I kind of took it all in.”
― Orianthi
“Who didn’t want to dance like Michael Jackson? I know I did.”
― Orianthi
“Sometimes I want to hear something fun to cook or bake to; other times, I need specific songs to to lift me up.”
― Orianthi
“I’m always amazed at how records can make you feel like somebody else understands you.”
― Orianthi
“Since I was three, music’s been my life.”
― Orianthi
“I’m lucky that my family is musical. Music was encouraged. So when I saw Carlos Santana play and decided to really pursue the electric guitar in earnest, it was OK. My parents knew I was going to go for it.”
― Orianthi
“You want a solo to be structured, a song within a song, but you want it to sound like it’s the first time you’re playing it, too.”
― Orianthi
“I’ve been playing electric guitar since I was 11, and I love the blues.”
― Orianthi
“All of my solos are blues based. Even though a lot of my songs get into pop, I wind up going back to the blues. Trying to escape it is like trying to run from the devil.”
― Orianthi
“When you play a show and you see people singing your lyrics back to, you feel as if they do know you.”
― Orianthi
“Pushing yourself and digging into something new, that’s what being a musician is all about.”
― Orianthi
“’Rise’ is a very empowering song.”
― Orianthi
“When I saw Santana for the first time, I was really inspired. Same with Stevie Ray Vaughn.”
― Orianthi
“I want to collaborate with different artists.”
― Orianthi
“There aren’t too many female guitar players.”
― Orianthi
“I’m actually allergic to sulfate – so I can’t have vinegar, and I can’t drink wine.”
― Orianthi
“My parents went out of their way for me ever since I left school. When I was 15, I said to Mum, ‘I’m leaving school,’ and she was like, ‘Okay.’ I joined a cover band and played three nights a week, and they were really supportive of that.”
― Orianthi
“I’d be a chef if I wasn’t a musician, that’s for sure.”
― Orianthi
“’Guitar World’ is one of my favorite magazines.”
― Orianthi
“Playing Michael Jackson’s memorial service was one of the hardest things to do because it was literally a few days after he had passed, and Kenny Ortega, who was directing it all, was like ‘You’re gonna come out and sing.’ So not only was I completely shaken up, I didn’t know how I was gonna get through it.”
― Orianthi
“I have, like, 1,000 voice memos on my iPhone.”
― Orianthi
“It’s not easy being a female guitar player. You have to believe in yourself.”
― Orianthi
“I had a teacher at school who told me to take up the harp.”
― Orianthi
“That’s my goal: to inspire more female guitarists out there.”
― Orianthi
“It was pretty insane to play the Grammy Awards and looking out in the audience and seeing rock royalty – Bono and Paul McCartney. It was crazy.”
― Orianthi
“Getting to write a song with Steve Vai – he was my first support.”
― Orianthi
“I’m half Greek, half Australian.”
― Orianthi
“I got to jam with Prince, which is amazing.”
― Orianthi
“I was the only kid reading guitar magazines at the back of the classroom.”
― Orianthi
“You have to work hard if you want something, and my parents instilled that into me when I was really young.”
― Orianthi
“Success has been a gradual thing; it hasn’t been overnight. So I appreciate everything and never take it for granted.”
― Orianthi
“I’m constantly creating and writing.”
― Orianthi
“Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of role models – Bonnie Raitt, Lita Ford, Jennifer Batten.”
― Orianthi
“Girls are supposed to sing. It’s the guys’ thing to play the guitar. Crossing the line is kind of like trying to be a male ballerina. But if you work long and hard enough, are really passionate about it, people will finally shut up and listen.”
― Orianthi
“I was contacted through MySpace to come and jam out for Michael Jackson. I thought it was a joke. I forwarded it to my manager, and it actually was legitimate, so I went the next day.”
― Orianthi
“It’s hard to solo when you’re walking around, especially when you’re in Michael Jackson’s presence. There are easier things in life to do.”
― Orianthi
“I aim to inspire a bunch of female guitar players to get out there and take it seriously and never give up.”
― Orianthi
“I’ve seen some female players, and they get up there and play an A chord and leave… and it’s not a good representation. You can take it seriously and love it as much as a guy loves it, not just to get up there and pose.”
― Orianthi
“I’ve had pigeons, doves, mice. I had a cat, dogs.”
― Orianthi
“I had two roosters at one point ,and that was pretty noisy. Our neighbors didn’t like us very much. They would crow at the same time. That’s why we had them in soundproof kennels.”
― Orianthi
“I love singing my own stuff, but I also love being a guitar player. Doing both keeps things interesting.”
― Orianthi
“I like collecting chickens.”
― Orianthi
“You go with what you ‘get,’ and I get playing the guitar. It’s a challenge because it’s not an easy instrument to play. There are so many interesting sounds you can make out of it and so many different elements. I dig it.”
― Orianthi
“One of the first country artists I got to work with was Carrie Underwood at the Grammy Awards.”
― Orianthi
“The great thing about country songs is the storytelling.”
― Orianthi
“In 2007, when I first moved to Los Angeles, I got a call from Prince, and he had been watching my YouTube videos. It was crazy, because I thought it was my friend calling and pretending to be Prince.”
― Orianthi
“I will literally have a whole pot of coffee to myself.”
― Orianthi
“I’m really into Deepak Chopra and self-help books.”
― Orianthi
“I was playing piano at three and started writing songs when I was six or seven, and I’ve been addicted since then.”
― Orianthi
“Working with Michael Jackson was awesome. He was an incredible entertainer, dancer, singer, magician, everything, and he was really sweet, too.”
― Orianthi
“Music’s my life, and it always has been.”
― Orianthi
“To be able to work with my idols is incredible. You learn so much, and they’re wonderful as people, too.”
― Orianthi
“We kind of grew up in an environment that enabled us to be ourselves.”
― Orianthi
“It’s a huge honour to be able to get on stage and jam with an icon.”
― Orianthi
“Everyone has troubles in their life.”
― Orianthi
“I was called a freak because I was so engrossed in music.”
― Orianthi
“It’s a crazy industry. I’m not into the partying, I’m a pretty healthy person.”
― Orianthi
“Santana is the reason I play guitar – I studied his style so much, I actually wore out the video tapes.”
― Orianthi
“Christmas time… is about bringing everyone together.”
― Orianthi
“There’s a lot of players I look up to, and I hope that I can be a role model to young female guitar players. Hopefully they can believe in themselves more.”
― Orianthi
“I’ve always looked for ways to inspire people, especially young people, to play guitar. When I first saw Fretlight, I immediately connected with the vision. Today’s kids expect technology to help them on their journey, and that’s exactly what Fretlight does.”
― Orianthi
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