After her performance on America's Got Talent, 11-year-old Indian-origin guitarist Maya Neelakantan is making waves. She was so good even the usually unimpressed Simon Cowell called her a ‘Rock Goddess’ after hearing her play Papa Roach’s Last Resort with a touch of Classical notes. 

Anand Mahindra impressed

Anand Mahindra was so impressed with her performance that he believes she should get a chance to perform at the Mahindra Blues festival in Mumbai. Sharing a clip of her performance on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “Oh My God. Maya Neelakantan is only 10 years old. 10! Yes, Simon, she’s a Rock Goddess. From the land of Goddesses. We have to get her back here to do her stuff at the @mahindrablues! @jaytweetshah @vgjairam.”

Maya Neelakantan’s performance

Maya performed on America’s Got Talent episode 4 on June 25. Clips of her performance went viral immediately. “I am so grateful that I am blessed with so many amazing people guiding me all the way and have the honor of learning directly from these Guitar Gods. So Thank You All!” she wrote on her Instagram, sharing a video of her thanking everyone who helped her reach that stage.

Who is Maya Neelakantan?

Maya is is well-known on Instagram for her metal rock renditions of famous numbers by Tool, Metallica and Slayer. Originally hailing from Chennai, she performed on-stage dressed in a ghaghara and a bindi on her forehead. Simon, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel gave her a standing ovation after her performance.

Simon told her after her performance, “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.” In March, Maya received a guitar from musician Gary Holt.