The America’s Got Talent 10-year-old guitar player Maya Neelakantan blasted on the stage during the fourth episode of AGT 2024. Wearing a traditional Indian outfit, Maya started playing a few notes and chords on an electric guitar before surprising the audience with a powerful cover of “Last Resort” by Papa Roach. The heavy metal girl impressed the crowd with effortless riffs and tricky runs, earning herself four “Yes” votes from the judges. Here’s what Maya is doing now, when she’ll appear next on the show, and what other guitar songs she might play on AGT Season 19.
Where is America’s Got Talent Maya Neelakantan now?
Since her audition on America’s Got Talent, Maya Neelakantan has turned 11 years old and has met many legendary guitarists, according to her Instagram, YouTube, and other social media accounts.
Maya is most active on her Instagram account, which has over 26,000 followers and is responsibly managed by her parents given her age. As seen in posts and videos on Instagram and YouTube, she has had the chance to meet Alex Skolnick from Testament, Danny Carey from TOOL, and the metal band Forbidden. In fact, the Gibson guitar she used in the AGT audition was given to her and signed by Adam Jones of TOOL. Many of the guitarists she has met have commented on her Instagram posts, giving her words of support as she continues her journey through AGT.
On May 30, she also made a guest appearance at a concert with her teacher Guitar Prasanna, marking her first experience in a live concert in the US. She continues to practice hard by playing difficult songs and improvisations based on various heavy metal classics. She’s also collaborated with a talented 14-year-old drummer named Yoyoka Soma in a live session where they played “Forty Six & 2” by TOOL together.
When will be Maya Neelakantan’s next performance on AGT?
Maya Neelakantan’s next performance on AGT 2024 will likely be the live shows set in August.
It’s unclear at this time whether Maya has made it through yet. While she earned four “Yes” votes from the judges, she didn’t receive a Golden Buzzer. This means that the judges and the producers of the show still need to deliberate on whether she’ll make it through to the semi-finals. It looks like Season 19, like the prior season, will not have a dedicated episode on the deliberations, so we’ll have to learn whether she made it to live shows when NBC announces the lineup.
That said, the chances that she will appear in the semi-final is high given that she received four “Yes” votes and has an act that separates herself from the rest of the auditions so far. Her experience with classical Carnatic music and the heavy metal genre gives her an edge and an original voice.
According to the episode schedule for AGT 2024, the auditions will end on July 23, with the show taking a two-week break before the live shows begin on August 13. We’ll hopefully learn which live show that Maya will be competing in, if any, for a place in the finale.
What songs can Maya Neelakantan play?
Maya Neelakantan has a lot of options when it comes to what she might play on AGT, since she has mastered many songs that include classical Carnatic compositions and thrash metal.
On her YouTube channel, she is seen playing 15-minute Carnatic song called Entharo Mahanubhavulu, a cover of “7empest” by TOOL, and another cover of “Bonded by Blood” by Exodus. Given that America’s Got Talent is for a casual audience, she will possibly lean into a song choice that the audience will recognize easily while offering her a chance to improvise a sick solo. On that front, there are numerous options that will fit the bill.
Even if she doesn’t make it through to the semi-finals, her talent cannot be denied and the experience she’ll gain on the stage will only help her in her career after the show finishes.
