Jill O'Rourke
Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
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| June 25, 2024 SIGN IN TO SAVE POST
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBCReading Time: 2 minutes
America’s Got Talent has shared an early release audition from Tuesday’s new episode of Season 19, featuring 10-year-old guitarist Maya Neelakantan. Maya wowed the judges with her skills as she rocked the Got Talent stage.
10-Year-Old Guitarist Auditions in AGT Early Release
For her audition, Maya (who is from India) decided to perform “Last Resort” by Papa Roach on electric guitar. The audience and judges seemed uncertain at first, but they quickly realized just how talented Maya is as the performance went on.
The audience cheered Maya on as she continued to perform, and the judges were visibly stunned by her incredible skills on the guitar. When the performance was over, the entire panel gave Maya standing ovation. Her family watched proudly from just off stage.
“Maya, are you sure you’re 10 years old?” judge Sofia Vergara wondered after the performance, to which Maya laughed and replied, “I think so.”
SEE ALSO: SIMON COWELL STOPS FAMILY SINGING GROUP IN ‘AGT’ EARLY RELEASE AUDITION
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What Did the Judges Think?
Vergara called Maya’s performance “a perfect audition,” while Howie Mandel told her that she “just picked yourself up a viral moment.” Heidi Klum said Maya was “absolutely incredible,” adding, “You should be very, very proud of yourself.”
“I was about your age when I tried to learn the guitar,” Simon Cowell told Maya. “It is one of the most difficult instruments in the world. So I gave up. Actually, my teacher gave up on me.”
Cowell went on to say how unexpected Maya’s audition was, calling her a “rock goddess.” He and the other three judges all gave Maya a “yes” to move on. Catch her audition, and plenty others, when AGT Season 19 returns on Tuesday night at 8/7c on NBC.
If you want to hear more from Maya (who has turned 11 since she filmed her audition), you can follow her on Instagram and YouTube.
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