Twist: So tell me about your album!

Orianthi: My album Believe is going to be out in stores on October 27th and I'm super excited about it! It's very guitar-based - I'm a guitar player. So there is guitar solos in every song and I had a lot of fun writing it! I was over in LA for 3 years and I really enjoyed the writing process. We sorted through all the songs that I recorded, demo-ed and then chose songs for the records. I recorded 18 for the record and we narrowed it down to 11.

The first single According to you is going to be out really soon, and we shot the music video for that, and I'm super excited. This record is an empowering record and I want to inspire a lot of young girls to pick up their electric guitar - or pick up a guitar, acoustic or electric- and just to believe in themselves, because it wasn't easy for me to be a female guitar player. So, just to keep at it and hopefully I can inspire a lot of people to pick up the guitar.

Twist: What do you write about in your songs?

Orianthi: It can be personal experiences; it can be the mood that I'm in! I'll come up with a guitar rift and write something that goes around the guitar rift sometimes. It just depends you know? All the songs start off differently and they'll come to different places. But generally, they're from personal experiences or I could write it about a situation and kind of turn it around so it's a little more - add a story to it, make it a little different, you know?

Twist: When did you discover your love for the guitar?

Orianthi: When I was six. My dad's a guitar player so we had guitars all around the house, and I just picked one up one day, when I was six, and haven't put it down. I started strumming, trying to put chords together, and I used to love the Beatles, Elvis [Presley], and Roy Robinson - so I used to watch them and try to strum along, it was really weird. And then I picked up the electric guitar when I was eleven after seeing Santana perform.

Twist: I heard Santana acknowledged you!

Orianthi: Yeah! He did an interview on Australian TV and actually pulled out my old CD - my demo CD - he held it up on TV! It was so awesome. I got to hang out with him - I got to play with him onstage twice, got to jam with him, go over to his home and hang out - he's such a great guy. He actually drove me around in his car, which was crazy!

Twist: You also recently performed with Michael Jackson...

Orianthi: Yeah, I did. That was incredible - working with Michael Jackson was such a great time. When I first got the email through MySpace to audition for his band, I thought it was a joke, I didn't think it was for real. Then my manager reached out and it was for real, so I was told to learn songs, I learned the songs the best I could. I came in and played them for the musical director and then played them for Michael Jackson that night. He came in, sat down on a black couch, I remember, with a few people and they cranked up my guitar solo for Beat It and I was praying to God that I got it right. Then he hired us all that night, so it was really insane - so amazing. Working with him - he was such a nice person, such a wonderful person, so funny, really sweet, encouraging, just an amazing performer... I'm so grateful that I got to be part of it.

Twist: So you'll also be in the new Michael Jackson documentary movie?

Orianthi: Yeah, I'm in the movie. That's pretty crazy, waking up one day and watching the CNN clip that came on TV - where I'm jamming with MJ. When you're up there onstage doing that, you don't see it from the audience perspective so when you see it on TV it looks so cool. I'm just thinking like "I got to walk out this way, then try not to stuff up the notes when MJ comes over to me." Like I'm getting into it but at the same time you got mental notes to make sure you come out on time...So watching it on TV was just like, "Wow this show is going to be incredible" and watching MJ and how he was dancing the dances.

Twist: Any rituals before you perform?

Orianthi: Before I perform, I like to just sit with my guitar. Just hold it for a bit and play something just for myself. Then kind of centers me - it's like when you first picked it up - you're sitting there just strumming it by yourself. Just having that moment, without too many people around. Then I also like to have my teas. I got to have my teas! Sometimes I have my throat teas...I also love eating apples! (laughs) I usually do that; I don't know it gives me energy before a show! I don't know it's weird! It used to be strawberries! Yeah, strawberries and apples - I like to have fruit before I go onstage - that's sort of my thing.

Twist: What's next for you? Maybe a tour with your new album?

Orianthi: Yeah! The record is coming out on October 27th, so when I get back to LA, we're going in to complete one extra song and then start full band rehearsals, which I'm SO excited about on Tuesday. We have a new bass player coming in, we're going to start going over all the material and play some shows. The tour hasn't been confirmed yet but I'm super excited about it.

Twist: Do you have any advice for girls who want to play the guitar or want to be a singer?

Orianthi: Yeah! Just stick at it. You know, playing guitar is kind of a guy's thing - it's like being a male ballerina. I wouldn't call it normal but it's a guy's thing, it's a guy's world, but if you love it as much as they love it, and they can see that, and you're dedicated. Don't let negativity bring you down. If someone says anything about you then it's just like well that's their own thing, they shouldn't be trying to bring you down. And for me, it's just about getting back up again, rocking out, and just believing in yourself. Just keep on following your dreams because you can make it happen if you're persistent and stick at it. Play as many shows as you can, jam with as many people as you can, listen to as many records as you can -- try to absorb as much different music that's out there -- then sit by yourself and try to come up with your own thing.