9-year-old singer of Indian origin surprises the jury of “America’s Got Talent”

Nine-year-old Pranysqa Mishra surprises America’s Got Talent

Since the age of four, Pranysqa Mishra has been honing her singing talent that shone on the stage of America’s Got Talent. Her love for Tina Turner’s music was evident in her powerful performance that won the hearts of the judges and the audience alike. Heidi Klum’s Golden Buzzer moment marked a milestone in Mishra’s budding music career and promised her a bright future in the industry.

On July 8, Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to once again express his admiration for Pranysqa Mishra’s performance and stressed his awe and pride in seeing Indian talent on an international platform like America’s Got Talent.

What the hell is going on here??
For the second time in the last two weeks, a young – VERY young – woman of Indian origin rocked the stage at @AGT with a raw talent that is simply astonishing.
With acquired skills in native American music genres: rock and gospel.
Pranysqa… pic.twitter.com/2plEj8EXVs

— Anand Mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 8, 2024

In addition, the judges America’s Got Talent are known for being hard to impress. However, an 11-year-old guitarist of South Asian descent recently stunned the audience and the judges with her interpretation of the heavy metal favorite “Last way out’ by Papa Roach.

Dressed in a traditional South Indian Pattu Pavada (long skirt and top) and a glittery bindi, Maya Neelakantan’s command of the stage was evident. She captivated the audience at the audition with her flawless skills on the electric guitar and a charming smile throughout the performance.

Who is Maya Neelakantan?

Maya Neelakantan began her performance with a soothing Carnatic raga on the guitar, which soon built up into a heavy metal banger. The seamless medley not only surprised the audience but also impressed them with the little girl’s incredible musical mastery.

According to Neelakantan’s Instagram, which is managed by her parents, she is a trained musician in Indian classical Carnatic while experimenting with various other genres like thrash metal and rock. America’s Got TalentShe stated that her inspirations were Adam Jones (TOOL) and Gary Holt.

Neelakantan also recently had the privilege of meeting Danny Carey from her favorite band TOOL. was completely impressed with her skills. After a conversation with Neelakantan, he gifted her a signed drum skin. On Instagram, she wrote, “He is always smiling and happy!”

Neelakantan added, “I was so happy to meet the legend in person, Danny Carey from TOOL! … I was so nervous to meet him and I’m still nervous even now when I watch this video. This is the first legend from TOOL that I’ve met and he is so nice and such a nice person.”

Simon Cowell, a judge on America’s Got Talent and known for his tongue-in-cheek attitude, was absolutely delighted by Neelakantan’s performance. He said: “You know what I love about this audition? You just didn’t expect this. You were so shy and you’re 10! And then you turned into something of a rock goddess!”

Her colleague Howie Mandel, who was also on the jury, also praised Maya’s performance and said that she could soon become a viral sensation. Heidi Klum called Maya “brave, incredible” and praised her talent. Sofia Vergara, on the other hand, was shocked that Neelakantan could perform so well at such a young age.