Eleven-year-old Maya Neelakantan took the world by storm when she performed on stage at America’s Got Talent on June 25. With Simon Cowell calling her a ‘rock goddess’, the video of her performance went viral and Maya Neelakantan became a household name in India. Renowned industrialist Anand Mahindra went a step further and called her ‘Rock Goddess from the land of Goddesses’ and said he wanted her to perform soon at the Mahindra Blues festival, Mumbai. 

In this exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, young and talented guitar prodigy Maya Neelakantan talks about her passion for music and more.

At what age did you discover you loved playing the guitar and how did you start learning?

Well, I’ve wanted to play the guitar since I was five years old but I actually started playing guitar when I was six. I have always loved music since I was two and my dad played guitar as a hobby. I started by learning my favourite songs with my dad and he taught me how to self-learn through YouTube videos and guitar tabs. Now, I'm able to learn any song by myself!

What was your first public performance? Do you remember how you felt in front of the audience?

The first time that I played on stage was on the world’s number 1 talent show America's Got Talent (AGT) recently. But the first time I played in public was actually at an ashram with about 50 people watching. I really loved it and it was a very new experience but AGT was completely different because there were more than 1000 people there in the audience. The main thing that made me nervous before I went on stage was the crowd screaming but the moment I started playing, I started enjoying myself and wasn't nervous anymore.

When did you start training professionally and how much did you train for AGT?

I've been learning Carnatic music from Guitar Prasanna for two years now. I've been doing the same thing the whole time except now I'm playing harder techniques. I trained for AGT for about two to three weeks. Many people helped and gave advice for AGT. Guitar Prasanna helped me in creating the song and I rearranged it in the end.

Also, the award-winning actress for the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black, Jessica Pimentel, coached me for the movements for AGT and also helped me prepare mentally for the show because it was my first time on stage. The guitar I used on stage was the one gifted by Adam Jones from Tool. And all my guitar heroes gave advice for AGT and Gary Holt, who's the guitarist for Exodus and Slayer, had come to watch me play on stage, support and cheer for me. Gary came down from Sacramento to Los Angeles to support me and that made me a lot less nervous.

What was the moment like for you when you performed at AGT and the audience went wild?

While I was playing on AGT, the two-minute song felt like 30 seconds. But the moment I finished and everyone started standing up, cheering and chanting my name, it felt like I was there for hours. I was soaking up everything at that moment and now I fully understand why everyone says they want to go on stage again and again after going on the first time. I never experienced that before but now I want to continue performing on stage. When I play on stage next, I know what to expect and want to experience the same feeling.

Simon called you shy and that's contrast to you when you start playing the guitar.

Yes, I always feel more comfortable when I'm playing music. I was a bit more shy than usual since it was my first time on stage with all the cameras and everybody watching me. But I felt at home once I started playing and just started enjoying myself and didn't want it to end.

Combining classical Indian music and rock is not the norm. How did you develop a passion for this?

My dream is to create my own music by combining Carnatic music with Heavy Metal. Since I have my dream of merging these genres together, I did a little bit of that for AGT and I'm very proud of the result.

How supportive are your parents and what advice do they give you?

My parents are very, very supportive of me and always have been my entire life and it's because of them it’s possible for me to continue following my passion and meet so many guitar legends. They always tell me it's most important for me to enjoy the process and not worry about the result. I really enjoy everything I have been doing in my life and when I came to AGT, I thought of it as a party not a competition. I never worry about the result and I make sure I have fun with the process. So, I've been doing that my entire life and that's helped me to come to where I am now.

Who are your idols in the music world?

My idols are Adam Jones, the guitarist of Tool; my Carnatic teacher Guitar Prasanna; Gary Holt, the guitarist of Exodus and Slayer; Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson who are both the guitarists from Testament; and the band Metallica who first inspired me to play the guitar.

What do you eventually want to do in the music world?

I want to create my own music which will have the intricate Carnatic slides, Thrash Metal elements, and crafting songs, like Tool’s music. All these different genres activate different emotions for me and I want to mix them together. I feel that you have to really go into the music to enjoy it so I want to make music so that my listeners can go with me on a journey through the song. So, that's the dream I'm working towards and all these events are bringing me one step closer to creating my own music. It could even turn out to be a genre unheard of!

Lastly, when are you playing in India for the audience here who are cheering for you?

Right now there is nothing officially confirmed but I am looking forward to playing in India in front of my Indian fans and am excited to play on stage once more!.

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