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Orianthi

1 upcoming festival

Australian guitarist who moved from Michael Jackson's final rehearsals to Alice Cooper's band and her own records — shredding attached to plainspoken pop-rock songwriting.

Orianthi Panagaris is an Australian guitarist and singer from Adelaide who began playing as a child and built a reputation as a lead player before releasing her own records. She was hired as lead guitarist for Michael Jackson's This Is It residency and appeared in the rehearsal footage released after his death, and she has since spent extended periods in Alice Cooper's touring band and worked alongside Richie Sambora.

Her solo material sits between hard rock, blues rock and radio pop-rock, with "According to You" her best-known single. The songwriting is direct and verse-chorus in shape, with extended lead guitar work built into it rather than added around the edges.

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