Maya Neelakantan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maya Neelakantan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 4 May 2013 Chennai, India |
| Genres | Carnatic, Heavy Metal, Rock, World fusion |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
Maya Neelakantan (born 4 May 2013[1][2]) is an Indian music prodigy and guitarist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 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]
Neelakantan was born in MRC Nagar, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai, 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]