Maya Neelakantan, a 10-year-old Indian-origin girl delivered a stunning performance on the latest episode of “America's Got Talent,” demonstrating her love for rock classics with an Indian twist. Judge Simon Cowell called her a ‘Rock Goddess’ after hearing her play Papa Roach’s 'Last Resort' with a touch of Classical notes.
Hailing from Chennai, Neelakantan stood out from other rock musicians, donning traditional Ghagra and a bindi on her forehead during the talent show audition, which was telecast on June 25. All four judges gave her a standing ovation following her 100-second performance, which saw her effortlessly strumming the guitar while hitting every note with precision and accuracy. A pleasantly surprised Sogia Vargera questioned, "Maya, are you sure you're 10 years old?" Neelakantan answered, "I think so," with a sly, apprehensive smile.
Cowell had just one word to describe her head-banging artistry: “Whoa!” He said: “You know what I love about this audition, you just weren't expecting this. You were so shy, and you're 10! And then you turned into, like, this rock goddess". Cowell went on to share his personal guitar-learning experience, saying, “I gave up playing guitar, actually no my teacher gave up on me”.
Neelakantan has a YouTube channel which is run by her parents. She posted a video of her performance from the show on YouTube and wrote, “What an honor that I got to play for the first time on stage and it's on America's Got Talent! Thank you for creating an unforgettable memory for me!!” Neelakantan received a gift from musician Gary Holt when she first met with him at his residence in March.
