Australian musician Orianthi has spent her entire life surrounded by guitars, first introduced by her father, who decorated their home with Gibson 6-strings. Orianthi's years of playing landed her spots in the bands of Carrie Underwood and Michael Jackson by her early 20s. Now, her world-renowned career has landed Orianthi her own guitar in collaboration with Gibson, the brand that started it all.
In this episode of It Goes to 11, Orianthi introduces her bejeweled, cherry-colored Gibson signature guitar. While working on the design, Orianthi had the final say, from selecting its large size to etching lotuses on the neck and pickguard in homage to her name, which translates to flower in Greek.
One of the first songs she wrote on the guitar also happens to be one of the most meaningful in her catalog. "It's called 'White Dove.' It's a song about my grandpa, because he caught me this white dove in the backyard when I was really young," Orianthi explains. "It represented freedom and love."
Although Orianthi's guitar might be one of the newest in her collection, it has a lot of sentimental value because of the memories and songs she has made with it already: "It truly is a part of my family. It has a spirit to it."
Press play on the video above to learn more about Orianthi's favorite guitar, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of It Goes to 11.
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