Maya Neelakantan – the 10-year-old Adam Jones mega-fan who previously went viral for nailing a bunch of Tool riffs – just went viral once again, after she played on stage for the very first time at her America’s Got Talent audition.
Neelakantan’s electric guitar chops might be familiar to many GW readers. The aspiring guitarist first received attention back in 2022, after she nailed Tool’s 16-minute epic, 7empest.
That prompted Adam Jones himself to give her one of his own signature Gibson Les Pauls, which Neelakantan quickly put to use on a 15-riff Tool medley.
Recently, the youngster put the Silverburst single-cut to good use once again, but this time she wasn’t playing Tool – she was ripping through Papa Roach’s Last Resort.
Nor was she playing from the comfort of her own home. This time, Neelakantan played on stage for the first time, and did so in front of a packed live audience on America’s Got Talent.
The performance was flawless, showing Neelakantan’s growth as a player since her first viral clips, as she made light work of the track’s helter skelter leads – and added plenty of her own.
Just as we were when we first came across the budding guitarist in 2022, the judges were blown away with what they saw, with judge Sofia Vergara calling it “a perfect audition”.
Her fellow panel member, the famously-difficult-to-please Simon Cowell, was also gushing with his praise.
“I was about your age when I tried to learn the guitar. It is one of the most difficult instruments in the world,” he said. “You were so shy, and then you turned into this rock goddess.”
All in all, it turned out to be a successful first on-stage outing for Neelakantan, who (obviously) flew through to the next round. Maybe some more Tool action will follow?
“Wow! What an honor that I got to play for the first time on stage and it’s on America’s Got Talent,” Neelakantan commented on the YouTube video of her audition, which was already been viewed more than one million times.
“Thank you for creating an unforgettable memory for me!”
Visit Maya Neelakantan’s YouTube channel to catch more of her playing.
America’s Got Talent is a reliable source of viral guitar action. Last year, an unassuming guitar teacher went viral after channeling Eddie Van Halen and Brian May in his own epic audition.
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