Maya Neelakantan

Last updated
Maya Neelakantan
Born (2013-05-04) 4 May 2013 (age 11)
Chennai, India
GenresCarnatic, Heavy Metal, Rock, World fusion
OccupationMusician
InstrumentGuitar

Maya Neelakantan (born 4 May 2013 [1] [2] ) is a Tamil prodigy and guitarist from Chennai, India. Playing heavy metal music since six years of age and also learning Carnatic music from nine years of age, [3] she auditioned at the America's Got Talent season 19 in April 2024. [4] [5] Her performance, an instrumental fusion of Carnatic intro and the heavy metal song "Last Resort" by Papa Roach, became a sensational hit. [6] [7] For her guitar prowess, Simon Cowell called her the "rock goddess." [8] [9] [10] Playing Metallica's "Master of Puppets" at the quarterfinals, she could not make it to the next round. [11]

Contents

Background

Neelakantan was born in MRC Nagar, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu. [7] [12] Her father runs an IT company, and her mother, Lorina, is an Australian entrepreneur. Her parents met in Australia where her father studied astrophysics. [7] Her father, though not a professional guitarist, had a passion for playing riffs from Metallica and Slayer, from which she got her influence in rock music. At the age of six, she started learning to play guitar with the help of her father. [12] The first song she learned was Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls". [1] In 2022, she joined formal music lesson in an online tutorial of Prasanna Ramaswamy (mostly known as Guitar Prasanna), a fellow Tamil who is based in New York City. [13] Prasanna taught her Carnatic music. [14] She debuted her public performance at an ashram in Kolathur, near her hometown in 2023, where she played Carnatic music. [12] [13]

Neelakantan's father created a YouTube channel in his daughter's name. At age eight, he recorded some of her guitar playings and started posting on the channel. Her cover of "7empest", a song by the Grammy-winning American rock band Tool, in 2022 became a hit and was appreciated by Adam Jones, Tool's guitarist. [15] Jones immediately followed her on an Instagram account, [12] and gifted her an electric guitar, a Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul Standard. [16] [17]

Neelakantan completed her elementary education in a traditional school in Chennai. [7] As of 2024, she continues her study in secondary education in Education World Wide, a US-based international online education platform. Being homeschooled through online system, playing guitar became a convenient hobby. [12]

America's Got Talent

Audition

Neelakantan's audition at the America's Got Talent season 19 was broadcast on 25 June 2024 at Los Angeles. [5] [18] (The actual audition was two months before, when she was still 10 years old [19] ). Dressed in traditional Ghagra choli and a bindi on her forehead, [15] in lehenga-style sari, complete with traditional jewellery, she played a Carnatic devotional intro (Natabhairavi [1] [7] ) which she blended into the heavy metal song "Last Resort" by Papa Roach. [14] [20] She used the Gibson Les Paul, signed and presented to her by Jones. [21] [15] Gary Holt, guitarist of Exodus and Slayer, who had become a fan joined her from Sacramento to support her audition. [13]

Reactions

All the AGT judges praised Neelakantan. Sofia Vergara called hers "the perfect audition." Heidi Klum commented her as "absolutely incredible" and "gutsy." [21] Cowell remarked: "You were so shy, and you're 10, and then you turned into, like, this rock goddess." [6] [20] Howie Mandel predicted the performance: "I think you just picked yourself up a viral moment." [22]

Pappa Roach quickly commented on Instagram: "Let’s gooo!! Absolutely killed it, Maya!" Gibson company wrote: "CONGRATULATIONS MAYA!! YOU ROCK." Holt commented: "She was EPIC!!" [21] Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, mentioned her on Twitter: "Yes, Simon, she's a Rock Goddess. From the land of Goddesses." [23] [18] He also stated that Neelakantan is invited to perform at the upcoming Mahindra Blues Festival, an annual music festival held in Mumbai, India. [24]

In July 2024, an Indian dairy corporation, Amul honoured her by issuing a cartoon of her AGT performance with a caption: "#Amul Topical: Young Chennai guitarist Maya Neelakantan creates viral waves!" [4] [25]

Quarterfinals

At the quarterfinals live show on 28 August, Neelakantan performed Metallica's "Master of Puppets" using Gibson Flying V metallic silver. [26] The song was with a permission from Metallica, for which Cowell commented: "I gotta say a big, big thank you to Metallica for giving you that song. That doesn't happen very often." [27] The guitar was a recent gift from Gibson company. [26] She was eliminated at the competition for the semifinals. [28] [11]

Supporters and influencers

Adam Jones

Tool's guitarist Jones noticed Neelakantan in 2022 from her cover of 7empest. [29] Tool's songs with complex and elaborate arrangements are the kind favoured by Neelakantan. [12] Jones was so impressed by the performance that he sent her a signed Gibson 1979 Les Paul (customized Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul). [17] [16] [30] Neelakantan said of Jones: "He actually messaged me a while ago saying that he does have a gift for me, but I never expected it to be something like this," and embracing the present, "Thank you so much, Adam Jones. This is really the biggest moment of my life!" [30] Jones became the first follower on Neelakantan's Instagram account. [12]

Gary Holt

Holt had been an admirer and supporter of Neelakantan. He went to Los Angeles from Sacramento to cheer her at the AGT audition. [13] He posted: "Lisa Holt and I on our way to LA so see our friend Maya Neelakantan perform on America's Got Talent, so stoked for her! Can't wait to cheer her on!!!" [31] Neelakantan was deeply moved by the support and wrote: "I had an incredible day! Played on America's Got Talent and on stage for the first time ever! And met the guitar legend Gary Holt for the first time ever! What a day!" [31] Holt later revealed that he served as Neelakantan's mentor for the audition. [32]

In March 2024, Holt gave Neelakantan a personally signed Holt Signature ESP guitar during their first meeting at his residence. Neelakantan posted on Twitter: Look What Happened Today! Gary Holt of Slayer/Exodus gifted me his signature guitar!!!” [33]

Music style and instrument

Carnatic music and heavy metal

Neelakantan’s first taste of music began at the age of two when her grandmother introduced her to Carnatic music. [8] When she was learned metal music at age six, her grandmother still wanted her to go into Carnatic music on the guitar. [1] At age nine, she came across Prasanna, another Chennaiite based in New York City. [13] [3] Prasanna had extensively worked with Indian music giant A. R. Rahman and pioneered the performance of Carnatic music on a string instrument. Neelakantan noted: "I felt I wanted to do something more. I was looking to see if I can play Carnatic on guitar when I stumbled upon guitar Prasanna.". [8] "He is based out of the US and so I learnt to play Carnatic music on guitar from him online," she says. [3] Her formal training with Prasanna is for just half an hour a week. [8] [12] She wanted a fusion of metal and Carnatic music as her main music stream, saying,"When I listen to thrash metal, I become pumped and energetic. Carnatic music, on the other hand, gives me a spiritual and divine feeling. The atmosphere would immediately change the moment Carnatic music is playing. So I wanted to merge them both. I really loved how music takes you on a journey. [8] Between Prasanna and rock legends, she says she eventually found her groove. [3]

Guitar

At age five, Neelakantan started playing toy guitar, which was replaced the next year by a real one. [16] Jones's Gibson Les Paul became her favourite. [21] In 2023, knowing of her ability and attachment to the guitar brand, Gibson enrolled her in the Gibson Generation Group Class of 2025. The programme is a two-year mentorship program for a new generation of musicians. As part of the program, Maya get to be endorsed by Gibson, collaborate with other Gibson artists, meet various management teams and luthiers from Gibson, VIP access to Gibson garage and able to try new Gibson products. [34]

Maya is also close friends with the Gibson CEO/President Cesar Gueikian. On her visit to Nashville earlier in 2024, she was hosted at the Gibson Garage by Gueikian, where she got a chance to play some of the most iconic guitars made by them. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Hammett</span> American guitarist (born 1962)

Kirk Lee Hammett is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2003, Hammett, along with bandmate James Hetfield, was ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's list of Greatest Guitarists of All Time. In 2009, Hammett was ranked number 15 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Mustaine</span> American musician (born 1961)

David Scott Mustaine is an American musician. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, primary songwriter and sole consistent member of the thrash metal band Megadeth and for his time as the lead guitarist of Metallica. Mustaine has released sixteen studio albums with Megadeth, sold over 38 million records worldwide, with six albums platinum-certified, and won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2017 at the 59th Grammy Awards, for the title track of their fifteenth studio album, Dystopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Rhoads</span> American guitarist (1956–1982)

Randall William Rhoads was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo albums Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of a Madman (1981). Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hetfield</span> American musician (born 1963)

James Alan Hetfield is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionally performs lead guitar duties and solos both live and in studio. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering an advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler. Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released 11 studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays, and 24 singles. Hetfield is often regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal rhythm guitar players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amul</span> Indian state government owned dairy cooperative society

Amul is an Indian dairy brand owned by the cooperative society, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), based in Anand, Gujarat. GCMMF is controlled by 3.6 million milk producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twiggy Ramirez</span> American rock musician

Jeordie Osbourne White, better known Twiggy Ramirez or simply Twiggy, is an American musician, mostly known as the former bassist and guitarist of the rock band Marilyn Manson. Previously, he was the bassist for A Perfect Circle and a touring member of Nine Inch Nails, and is currently the vocalist for Goon Moon. He left Marilyn Manson in 2002, later rejoined the band in 2008, and was dismissed in 2017. He has been a principal songwriter for the band and has also contributed to some of the Desert Sessions recordings. He also hosted the Hour of Goon podcast with fellow musician Fred Sablan, on the Starburns Audio network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vedavalli</span> Indian singer

Vidushi R. Vedavalli is a Carnatic vocalist. Musicologist M B Vedavalli (1935-2022) was a different person.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exodus (band)</span> American thrash metal band

Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1979 in Richmond, California. Their current lineup consists of guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus, bassist Jack Gibson, drummer Tom Hunting, and lead vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza. There are no original members left in Exodus other than Hunting, who has departed from the band twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007. Exodus is also notable for featuring a then-unknown Kirk Hammett, who was the band's lead guitarist from its inception until his departure in 1983, when he left to join fellow Bay Area thrash metal band Metallica as Dave Mustaine's replacement. Holt has been most consistent member throughout various lineup changes and breakups, and is the only member to appear on all of Exodus' recordings. Much of the band's career has also been affected by feuds between both band members and record companies, two extended hiatuses, deaths of former band members, and drug addictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Prasanna</span> Musical artist

PrasannaRamaswamy, is a known for performing Carnatic music on the guitar. He also plays jazz, progressive rock, and world fusion.

America's Got Talent is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global Got Talent franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle USA and Syco Entertainment, and broadcasts on the NBC television network. It premiered on June 21, 2006, after plans for a British edition in 2005 were suspended, following a dispute within the British broadcaster ITV. Production would later resume in 2007, following the success of the first season. Each season is mainly run during the network's summer schedule, and has featured various hosts over the course of the program's history. The current host is Terry Crews.

The first season of the American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from June 21 to August 17, 2006. The season went into production a year earlier than planned by Got Talent creator Simon Cowell. Cowell intended for Britain's Got Talent to debut before AGT in 2006. However, production was suspended due to internal conflicts within its British television network. David Hasselhoff, Brandy Norwood and Piers Morgan were the show's first judges, with Regis Philbin as host. This season originally had an early format for live round judging and Wildcard acts, which would be changed after the season's conclusion.

<i>Britains Got Talent</i> Televised British talent competition

Britain's Got Talent is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global Got Talent franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, it is produced by both Thames and Syco Entertainment, distributed by Fremantle, and broadcast on ITV every year in late Spring to early Summer. The show was originally intended for production in 2005, but filming was suspended in the wake of a dispute between ITV and the programme's originally planned host. Following the success of America's Got Talent that year, production resumed and the programme eventually premiered on 9 June 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Wyse</span> American musician

Chris Wyse is an American bassist and vocalist. He is best known for his performances with The Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Ace Frehley and Hollywood Vampires. He is also the vocalist and bassist for Owl, a band he founded in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orianthi</span> Australian musician, singer and songwriter (born 1985)

Orianthi Penny Panagaris, known mononymously as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his This Is It concert series, and performed with Alice Cooper's touring band. Her 2009 debut single "According to You" peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8 in Australia and No. 17 in the US; her second album, Believe, received a worldwide release in late 2009. The same year, she was named one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" by Elle magazine. She also won the "2010 Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" award hosted by Guitar International magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibi McGill</span> Musical artist

Bibi McGill is an American guitarist, yogi, producer and DJ best known as the lead guitarist and musical director of Beyoncé's backing band, the Suga Mamas, as well as for her work with P!nk, Paulina Rubio and Chilean rock group La Ley.

N J Nandini is a Carnatic music vocalist from Trivandrum. Nandini was awarded the Chembai Puraskaram, the Isai Chudar title and a M S Subbalakshmi fellowship at the young age of 23. Nandini, who comes from a family that has a musical lineage, has been nurtured by gurus such as Prof Parassala Ponnammal, Prof P R Kumarakerala Varma, Dr S Bhagyalakshmi and Dr M N Moorthy.

Courtney Hadwin is an English singer-songwriter. She rose to fame by competing prominently on the first season of ITV's The Voice Kids UK 2017 and the 13th season of the NBC competition show America's Got Talent (AGT) the next year. Her latter audition went viral. By the time of her second performance in 2018 on the first live TV broadcast of AGT that season, the video of her audition had been viewed "over 200 million" times, according to show host Tyra Banks as she introduced Hadwin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kodi Lee</span> American singer, pianist, and savant (born 1996)

Kodi Taehyun Lee is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and savant. At 22, he rose to fame on the 14th season of America's Got Talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danko Jones (musician)</span> Musical artist

Danko Jones, born Rishi James Ganjoo, is a Canadian rock singer, guitarist and composer. He is the main singer and guitarist of his self-titled rock trio, which was formed in 1996. Also he contributes as a music journalist for The Huffington Post, Close-Up Magazine, Rock Zone Magazine and Burning Guitars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara James</span> Polish singer and songwriter

Sara Zofia Egwu-James is a Polish singer and songwriter. She won the fourth series of the Polish talent show The Voice Kids and represented Poland at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021, in which she placed 2nd out of 19 entries, 6 points behind the Armenian representative, Maléna, who placed 1st.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kothari, Sonu M. (2024-07-09). "Rythms [sic] of a 'Rock goddess'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  2. ↑ Matt, Parker (2022-06-10). "Watch 9-year-old guitarist Maya Neelakantan tackle Tool's 16-minute epic, 7empest". Guitar World. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 PTI. "I want to create a genre of my own: Guitar prodigy Maya Neelakantan". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  4. 1 2 Baruah, Akashdeep (2024-07-08). "Amul pays tribute to 'Rock Goddess' Maya Neelakantan - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  5. 1 2 "I want to create a genre of my own: Guitar prodigy Maya Neelakantan". The Times of India. 2024-07-10. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  6. 1 2 Segarra, Edward (2024-06-26). "Simon Cowell raves over 10-year-old's heavy metal performance on 'America's Got Talent': Watch". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Khurana, Suanshu (2024-07-04). "Meet 11-yr-old 'Rock goddess' who floored America's Got Talent". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 PA, Aneesa (2024-07-07). "11-year-old Tamil 'rock goddess' wows America with Carnatic guitar and a headbang". ThePrint. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  9. ↑ "For Anand Mahindra, This 10-Year-Old America's Got Talent Contestant Is 'Rock Goddess'". News18. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  10. ↑ "Who is Maya Neelakantan? 11-year-old Chennai-based 'rock goddess' stole the show at 'America's Got Talent'". Deccan Herald. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  11. 1 2 Cohn, Paulette (2024-08-28). "Find Out Who Went Home on 'America's Got Talent' Tonight". Parade. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Baruah, Akashdeep (2024-07-06). "Maya Neelakantan: The making of a 11-year-old 'Rock Goddess'". CNBCTV18. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Srinivasan, Latha (2024-07-02). "My dream is to create own music combining Carnatic music and Heavy Metal: Maya Neelakantan of America's Got Talent fame". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  14. 1 2 Kriti, Kambiri (2024-07-03). "Maya Neelakantan: I'm representing all of India on America's Got Talent stage". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  15. 1 2 3 Shweta, Kukreti (2024-06-29). "Who is Maya Neelakantan? 10-yr-old Indian girl hailed as 'Rock Goddess' after stealing the show on America's Got Talent". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  16. 1 2 3 Das, Rajashree (2022-10-12). "Chennai's own guitar prodigy". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  17. 1 2 Roche, Sam (2022-12-01). "Watch 9-year-old guitarist Maya Neelakantan play an awe-inspiring medley of 15 clean Tool riffs – on a guitar given to her by Adam Jones". Guitar World. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  18. 1 2 Diksha, Puri (2024-06-29). "Anand Mahindra Spellbound By 10-Year-Old Indian Origin Guitarist's Talent". The Daily Guardian. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  19. ↑ Staff Writer (2024-07-04). "Meet Maya Neelakantan, the 11-year-old Guitar Prodigy From Chennai Who Rocked 'America's Got Talent' Stage". American Kahani. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  20. 1 2 Sharma, Suksham (2024-06-29). "Meet Maya Neelakantan: The Indian teen who impressed Simon Cowell at America's Got Talent". India Times. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Miller, Jax (2024-06-27). "You'll Never Guess What Song This 10-Year-Old Guitar Prodigy Covers". NBC. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  22. ↑ Ron, Dicker (2024-06-27). "10-Year-Old Headbanger Has Simon Cowell Saying 'Whoa!' In 'AGT' Audition". HuffPost. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  23. ↑ "Meet 10-year-old Indian guitarist Maya Neelakantan who rocks America's Got Talent audition with Papa Roach's 'Last Resort'". The Economic Times. 2024-07-04. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  24. ↑ Sinha, Sahil (2024-06-29). "10-year-old Indian rockstar slays at America's Got Talent. Video is viral". India Today. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  25. ↑ "Amul Hits :: Amul - The Taste of India". amul.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  26. 1 2 Adams, Gregory (2024-08-28). "See 11-year-old guitarist shred "Master of Puppets" on 'America's Got Talent'". Revolver. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  27. ↑ Childers, Chad (2024-08-28). "Metallica Allow 10-Year-Old to Face-Melt 'America's Got Talent' Audience With Classic Song". Loudwire. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  28. ↑ Swift, Andy (2024-08-29). "AGT Season 19 Results: Did Reid Wilson and More Make It to the Semifinals?". TVLine. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  29. ↑ updated, Matt Owen last (2022-10-04). "Adam Jones gifts signature Gibson Les Paul to 9-year-old Maya Neelakantan for nailing 7empest cover". guitarworld. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  30. 1 2 Schaffner, Lauryn (2022-10-04). "Adam Jones Gifts Guitar to Viral Tool Cover Kid, See Her Reaction". Loudwire. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  31. 1 2 Kennelty, Greg (2024-03-21). "EXODUS' GARY HOLT Cheered On Guitar Phenom MAYA NEELAKANTAN At Her America's Got Talent Audition". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  32. ↑ wookubus (2024-06-26). "Watch 10-Year-Old Maya Neelakantan Cover Papa Roach & Shoutout Tool's Adam Jones & Exodus' Gary Holt On 'America's Got Talent'". Theprp.com. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  33. ↑ "Who is Maya Neelakantan? All about 11-year-old Chennai guitarist who stunned judges on 'America's Got Talent'". The Indian Express. 2024-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  34. ↑ "Gibson Generation Group (G3)". g3.gibson.com. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.