'AGT' Season 19: Watch guitarist Maya Neelakantan rock out a Metallica classic after special clearance
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: Maya Neelakantan, an eleven-year-old from India, began playing the guitar at age seven. Her passion for heavy metal music inspired her to pursue it further.
During her audition for 'America's Got Talent' Season 19, Maya Neelakantan met members of Slayer and Testament. In the third quarter-finals, aired on Tuesday, August 27, she performed a Metallica song. She received special permission to use the song, as typically, the use of Metallica’s music requires prior written consent from the band.
Maya's guitar skills are leaving grown-ups shook 🤘 #AGT #ElectricProdigy pic.twitter.com/Y0ds2NCney
— AGT Auditions (@AGTAuditions) August 28, 2024
Metallica sued Napster for sharing their music in 2000
Copyright rules in the United States and other countries protect Metallica's music. Known for their vigorous defense of these rights, the band famously sued Napster in 2000, accusing the service of facilitating the illegal sharing of their music.
The case sparked a debate about the future of music distribution and artists' rights in the digital age. Metallica demanded that users sharing their music on Napster be removed from the service and that the sharing of their tracks be banned. Universities like Yale, Indiana, and the University of Southern California were also mentioned in the case allowing students to illegally download music through their networks.
'AGT' Season 19 judges praise Maya Neelakantan's 'God-given talent'
The 11-year-old guitarist Maya, dubbed the "rock goddess" by Simon Cowell, performed a cover of Metallica's 'Master of Puppets,' making her the first person the band had ever allowed to play their music on the show. Howie Mandel praised her for fusing Indian music into the song and referred to her as "a surprise."
Heidi Klum described her as "amazing on it," while Sofia Vergara praised her as "just one of these people with a God-given talent." Simon expressed his amazement at her accomplishments and noted that she had improved since her initial audition, offering her the much-needed compliment.
What song did Maya Neelakantan play for her 'AGT' Season 19 auditions?
With her rendition of Papa Roach's millennial nu-metal classic 'Last Resort,' Maya stunned the audience. The 2000 hard rock hit, known for its distinctive yelling vocals and iconic eight-note guitar chords, achieved gold certification in the US. After reaching number one on the Alternative Airplay charts for seven weeks, it spent 44 weeks on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay. The single contributed to their album Infest achieving triple platinum status.
In Europe, 'Last Resort' topped several charts, earning double platinum certification in the UK and platinum certification in Germany. Recently, the band celebrated reaching one billion Spotify plays for the song. Papa Roach even commented on a picture of Maya's 'AGT' performance that she shared on Instagram, showing that they had noticed and appreciated her cover.
'America's Got Talent' Season 19 airs on NBC on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 PM ET
