The Sadda Stringer

“Michael Jackson was talented and sweet. I had a lot of fun and I’m a bigger fan because I worked with him. I’ll never forget that moment when I played Beat it with him for the first time,” adds the 26-year-old. This year,she got a chance to work with another genius. “My manager told me that AR Rahman would like me to work on some guitar tunes. I was excited to work with Rahman,” she says. The song Rahman had selected her for was Sadda Haq,the mad and wild youth anthem in the film. “Sadda Haq is a powerful rocking tune,and was a lot of fun to play on. I had a great time in the studio in Los Angeles,” adds the guitarist.

Thrashing the strings and singing up a revolution in Sadda Haq was not hard work for Panagaris. She’s a veteran of sorts in the international rock arena — she’s the lead guitarist for American band,Alice Cooper,and has jammed with rock biggies such as Mexican-American rocker Carlos Santana,American musician Prince and three time Grammy winning guitarist Steve Vai. “But,getting a call from Rahman was among my most amazing moments,” she says.

Panagaris’ tryst with music started early. “I picked up the piano at three,then guitar at six,and finally the electric guitar at 11. My father is a guitarist,but I started playing the electric guitar because of Santana,” she said. Today,counted among the few female rock guitarists in the world,Panagaris was recently named one of the 12 Greatest Female Guitarists by an international publication and won the Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year award last year by the magazine,Guitar International. “It’s not an easy road being a female guitarist,” she says,“you get judged a lot more. But I love playing and inspiring more girls to keep going.”

The musician’s journey has been an experience of sorts. Bollywood is also a part of it. “I have seen a few Bollywood films and I like Indian music,” she says.

Currently touring with Alice Cooper across Australia,Europe and the US,Panagaris has finished recording her EP,Fire,with Dave Stewart,a British musician and record producer. A tour of India,however,will have to wait. “I cannot wait to record my full album next year. Then I would like to tour in India,”

she concludes.