What Happened to Maya Neelakantan in AGT 2024?
Maya Neelakantan, the 11-year-old “rock goddess,” made history on America’s Got Talent with a groundbreaking performance.
| Age (at audition) | 11 Years |
| Home Town | India |
| Act | 19 |
| Season | Guitarist |
| Position Reached | Quarterfinals |
Maya Neelakantan‘s unbelievable guitar performance in audition brought the whole audience into a cheering mess getting four yes votes from the judges. According to Simon Cowell she was turned into a rock goddess through the performance.
This little rock-star is coming from India to show her skills to the world. After her fiery performance in audition, Sofía Vergara questioned her “Are you sure you’re 10 years old?” and she added, “Your energy, your confidence–a perfect audition.”
In the quarterfinals, Maya made history as the first act allowed to perform a Metallica song on the show. She played “Master of Puppets” on her electric guitar, blending the heavy metal sound with Indian music. The judges were blown away, giving her a standing ovation.
Maya made it into the top 5 of the night but did not advance to the Semifinals. Let’s dive into the story of Maya Neelakantan’s guitarist journey .
Background
This little girl is from India Maya’s inspiration are Adam Jones from Electric Sheep, Melvin’s, Puscifer and Tool and Gary Holt from both Exodus and Slayer.
She has showcased her skills in genres like Thrash Metal, TOOL songs & Indian Classical Carnatic music since a very young age.
Maya Neelakantan Biography
| Real Name | Maya Neelakantan |
| Age | 11 years |
| Birthday | 2013 May 17 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
Family & Relationships
Maya Neelakanatan’s family has four members of her parents, four year-old brother and her according to the available information.
Her parents have been supporting her dreamy talent and for her ninth birthday she received a Les Paul guitar as her present according to her YouTube channel sources.Moreover, her social media account are also handled by her parents.
What happened in America’s Got Talent?
Audition
This little girl with a guitar dressed in a traditional Indian attire took the stage as the crowd was looking forward what might come next.
“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.” Simon Cowell commented after the performance. The entire audience was dancing and swaying to the unbelievable rock version of the “Last Resort.”
Simon revealed that he tried playing guitar at her age and failed doing so. “It is one of the most difficult instruments in the world, so I gave up,” Cowell said. “Actually, no, my teacher gave up on me.”
All the four judges votes ‘yes’ started as Sofía Vergara giving the first vote and Maya Neelakantan will continue to rock the AGT 2024 stage in upcoming episodes.
Quarter-Final
Maya amazed the audience with her electric guitar rendition of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” during the quarterfinals becoming the first act ever allowed to perform a Metallica song on the show. She impressed the judges by blending the heavy metal classic with Indian music, making her guitar sound like a sitar at one point.
Howie Mandel called her performance “a surprise,” Heidi Klum praised her as “amazing,” Sofia Vergara was amazed by her skill, and Simon Cowell described her as having “God-given talent,” noting that she had elevated her performance since her first audition.
Maya’s unique style and powerful performance earned her a place in the top 5 of the night. However, she did not receive enough votes to move on to the Semifinals and was eliminated from the competition.
Social Media
Featured image credits : IndiaTimes
