One of my favorite interviews to date, I met up with Orianthi when she was in town last December promoting her debut album, Believe. Having shared the stage with Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana and Steve Vai and with the goal to inspire more girls to pick up the electric guitar, Orianthi is a stand out role model. While she began playing guitar at the age of six, she said being a female guitarist wasn’t always easy.
“Guitar is a guy’s thing. I’d get picked on a lot and school wasn’t exactly the easiest time,” Orianthi said. “Actually, my teacher told me I should play the harp, it’s more feminine. It’s kind of like being a male ballerina in a way … I loved playing guitar so much that I stuck at it. I just want to inspire more girls to pick it up and stick at it and believe in themselves with whatever they do. You just have to follow down your path.”
Watch my video interview with Orianthi below to learn more about her passion for guitar, what it was like to perform with Santana and her experience working with Michael Jackson. To read the complete transcription click here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVupYVVT3g]
Video credit: Wendy Hu