My First Ever Stage Performance - AGT Audition! Maya Neelakantan From India - 10 Years Old Maya Neelakantan 2026-09-23 | My First Ever Stage Performance - AGT Audition! Maya Neelakantan From India - 10 Years Old
Jason Beckers Sitar Guitar 🎸 Carnatic Song ‘Deva Deva Kalayamithe Maya Neelakantan 2025-10-02 | Today is Vijayadashami, a very auspicious day, so I decided to play a small snippet of the Carnatic song ‘Deva Deva Kalayamithe’.I learnt this song from my grandmother’s singing and it is beautiful and touching to hear it played. The lyrics are very emotional and basically, it’s asking Lord Vishnu to clear our past Karma so we can join him. In Carnatic music, it’s not only the melody which makes it emotional but the words and the sentimental value of those words. When listening to the entire song praising Lord Vishnu, and then this Charanam comes and you’re asking to join him since we are done with the meaningless life chasing after the wrong things during our lifetime on Earth and the words are being teased over and over again with the melody, it can really be very tear stirring. This is my first video using the guitar that the heavy metal pioneer Jason Becker gifted to me! Last year when I got the honor to meet him in his home, he told me to try this guitar and after I played it to him, he said it’s mine and I can take it back home. This guitar is very unique as it sounds like a Sitar and has so many droning strings! And, Jason Becker himself used it years ago and he’s so loving and generous to gift this to me! This guitar was calling to me this morning to be played for this song. I’ve been playing around with Carnatic improvs in this part of the song but what I played now was the song itself. I felt it was very appropriate to be played today! Extremely emotional and beautiful! In the future I may play the full version with all of my improvs on it. This song deserves that love.#carnaticmusic #jasonbecker #electricsitar #sitarguitar #danelectro #rogueguitar #mayaneelakanan #devadevakalayamithe #carnaticguitar
Passage To Pranayama (Planetary Coalition) - Alex Skolnick Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-29 | Passage To Pranayama - Alex Skolnick Birthday Special! Today is the birthday of the guitar legend Alex Skolnick of Testament! Alex Skolnick is an amazing friend and right from the beginning, he’s been so kind, loving, supporting, and guiding me. The past few months, he’s been helping me in creativity and I wouldn’t be here without him, and I’ve noticed that he is genuinely helping me just for me succeeding and is expecting nothing in return. He is so selfless and a gentleman since when we first met and he is always looking out for me, gives advice, answers my questions, and I know I can trust and ask him for anything I need. Even before we met in person he was always amazing, very inspiring and I am very proud to call him my friend. What I’m playing is a solo from one of his songs in his album "Planetary Coalition" called 'Passage To Pranayama'. Each song in this album has the style from different countries and I love this record so much since it showcases all the styles and mixes them so perfectly with the world music and collaboration with different artists from around the world and Alex Skolnick makes them fit together amazingly so that it never feels out of place. I love this particular solo a lot as he made it Indian style and it was a really cool and an interesting piece. I learnt this solo by ear as a surprise for his birthday! Looking close and analysing what he does was so interesting and he really is a genius in his work. He is a really big inspiration to me and an amazing person, I wish an extremely Happy Birthday to Mr Skolnick!@TheRealAlexSkolnick #alexskolnick #mayaneelakantan #planetarycoalition
Adam Jones Invited Me to His House! 1 Year Ago Today Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-27 | This day, exactly 1 year ago, I met my huge inspiration Adam Jones in his house!! Adam Jones is the legendary guitarist of TOOL and this meet was so incredibly special for me that I remember it so well, including everything he said to me. When we first met, the first thing that he said to me was “I’m so proud of you Maya!”. He is just an amazing person, and he gave me an extremely memorable day and was talking to me about creativity, how he creates his songs, different ways he plays them, things I can improve on and so much more. It was so interesting and dream-like talking to my biggest inspiration and he is so passionate, exciting, and an incredible person. I also met his wife, Korin Frought, who’s also such a wonderful person, and their sons and little baby girl! They’re all so awesome and a beautiful family and ever since I met them, it’s made our relationship so much more closer and it was an honour. And a special thanks to Korin for having us there and always believing in me ever since the beginning. I had so much fun hanging with you all the whole evening! This unforgettable experience happened exactly one year ago and I’m forever grateful to my inspiration and a great friend, Adam Jones! ❤️❤️❤️#adamjones #mayaneelakantan #toolmusic #toolband #1yearago
A Surprise Gift From A Metal Legend - Alex Skolnick Himself (TESTAMENT)! 🎸🔥 Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-24 | On September 16th, last year, I was so surprised to see a box sent to me in my home and inside it was an Alex Skolnick signature guitar!! Just two days before, I met Alex Skolnick when I played with Testament on stage in Las Vegas concert and he never told me about this or sending me anything and just after the 4 hour drive back home in Los Angeles, I see this box waiting for me and when I open it it’s his own guitar! It’s the same model of the one that he played with me on stage, an ESP LTD AS-1FR, a color that I never had and my first Les Paul with a whammy bar! It took me a while to process what just happened. I was very shocked. I straight away called him after I opened it and he was really happy that it came and he wanted to keep it a surprise. He told me that I have everyone’s guitar, I have to have his! Just a couple weeks later, I saw that Testament was playing in the Los Angeles Hollywood Palladium and I knew I had to see him and get this guitar signed. Alex Skolnick signed my guitar and then we jammed together backstage. It was amazing and I always remember what a gentleman Mr Skolnick is and how kind and special he is too. So today I was remembering this special memory!!!#alexskolnick #mayaneelakantan #espguitars #testament
A Very Emotional Gift - Jeff Hanneman Tribute Guitar ❤️🎸 Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-16 | This video is an extremely emotional one. Exactly one year ago, I met a very special person in my life - Ms. Kathryn Hanneman, wife of the late Jeff Hanneman of Slayer. That day was the very first time we met in person (although we have been friends for a while), and she surprised me with a gift that’ll I’ll never forget, the first prototype edition of the special limited-edition Jeff Hanneman tribute guitar by ESP, created shortly after his passing.This guitar isn’t available anywhere else, with only 666 ever made, and this was the very first sample, which only Kathryn Hanneman had. My connection with Ms. Kathryn is incredibly special, and I’ve always felt that throughout my life, the universe has connected me with the most positive people. I’m more than grateful to have Kathryn in my life and to call her my very good friend.It was such a deeply emotional and significant moment, more special than I can ever describe. I can only imagine how Ms. Kathryn must have felt. She gave me a memory I will never forget. I am truly grateful and thankful to Ms. Kathryn Hanneman, and I will always remember both her and Mr. Hanneman with love and respect. ❤️#slayer #jeffhanneman #mayaneelakantan #espguitars #kathrynhanneman
Playing On Stage With TESTAMENT 🤘 Las Vegas Concert Solo! Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-13 | Playing On Stage With Testament in Las Vegas Concert (13 Sep 2024). It’s been exactly 1 year today since I played on stage with Testament! I can’t believe it’s already been a year and watching this video gave me goosebumps. This happened just a couple weeks after my elimination round of AGT and I wasn’t sad after being eliminated because I knew this would give me the chance to see Testament in Las Vegas, that too my first time ever going to see a concert! I recall the amazing memories of Eric Peterson teaching me the song so I can play with them on stage and jamming with him, Alex Skolnick, and the band was incredible. It was also my first time meeting Chuck Billy, Chris Dovas, Steve Di Giorgio and the entire amazing Testament family & crew. This is the solo from C.O.T.L.O.D I played on stage (taught by Eric Peterson!). #testament #mayaneelakantan #heavymetal #ericpeterson #alexskolnick #metalconcert #lasvegas #testamentlegion
I’m Back: Why I Disappeared + What’s Coming! Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-08 | After a long break from social media, I thought I’d take some time today to talk about what I’ve been doing! 2024 was unforgettable with America’s Got Talent, stage performances with Testament and Exodus, meeting all of my inspirations and priceless experiences. I met so many of my good friends there and many more. When I came back, there were suddenly events, performances calling for me, social media algorithms working well for me, and much more. I had two choices: chase the hype or continue working toward my passion. In this video, I share what I chose (and why) and things I’ve been working on - improvisation practice, lessons with Alex Skolnick, and exploring two worlds I love: Carnatic music and Western music. I’ll also talk about what’s coming next and I can tell you, I want to start sharing more things that I’ve learned the past few months with all of you. I get a lot of messages where people would like to know how to get started on guitar, playing Carnatic music, practices to get better, etc. So, if you have anything specifically you would like to know, you can let me know in the comments and I'll make a video about it.And at the end of the video, I have a small surprise to share. 👓==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Intro0:53 - Crossroad2:48 - Alex Skolnick - My Teacher3:15 - Improvisation5:16 - Carnatic + Western Improv7:20 - Social Media Break8:52 - What's Next9:42 - Surprise#imback #mayaneelakantan #alexskolnick
Music as Meditation 🎸 Tanam in Thodi on Guitar Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-04 | Music as a Meditation - Thaanam in Thodi on Guitar. Playing this made me feel that. I was practicing this Carnatic piece by the legendary Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer and I thought I’d just record and post this because of how mesmerising and trance-like it is. Thaanam is a rhythmic improvisation on a raga (modes) but is without a metronome. It has complex and changing rhythms and Veena is a special instrument to play it on. Something about this is that I can never get bored of it no matter how many times I play or hear it. At first, I thought that’d be impossible but now, this is how I want my music to be like where I can continuously be in the zone. This section I find particularly mesmerising and I’m able to just get lost in the music playing it. I’ve experimented a bit with this because I’ve been researching about Veena and I know they use a lot of bends instead of slides which is something I’ve always wanted to try. I know I can play slides well and fast but adding bends gives it a feel and I love the warm sound with that uniqueness on the guitar. So I added this new "fast bend technique" I've been practicing and played it differently in this piece! Karaikudi Sambassiva Iyer is a Veena legend and maestro (1888 - 1958) and I always see him as an inspiration. If you want me to play the full 15 minutes epic version of this Thaanam in this raga, let me know. What I played here now is only a fraction of it. The full version has thousands of notes, hundreds of licks, and an incredible amount of combinations, melodies and building up the ranges. Would you like me to play the full one? If you want, I’m ready to take the challenge and show you this masterpiece! #carnaticmusic #mayaneelakantan #karaikudisambasivaiyer #karaikudi #veena #thodi #tanam #raga #carnaticmusic #IndianClassical #ClassicalGuitar #WorldMusic #meditativemusic
Unboxing Gibson Les Paul Studio Honeyburst - Gibson Graduation Gift (G3 Program 2025) Maya Neelakantan 2025-09-02 | I received a guitar gifted to me by Gibson! This is so exciting and this is Guitar #10 for me and my 3rd Gibson guitar! They gifted it as a graduation present for being a part of the Gibson G3 2025 program. I know I haven’t posted in a while so I thought I can unbox it and show it to you!When they sent this guitar, I did not know what model, what shape, what color it was going to be and I was so excited to see this beautiful Gibson Les Paul Studio Session in Honeyburst finish! Such a beautiful guitar, amazing tone and so versatile and comfortable. So I was playing around this guitar testing out the tone and I was just playing some on the spot things to feel the music coming from this beautiful instrument. I had a blast! I also played Funeral Hymn (Exodus) which is one of my most favourite riffs to jam. Unfortunately, in all my excitement I didn’t notice my low E was slightly out of tune! 😅A huge thank you to Gibson for always supporting me and for this amazing gift. Your encouragement through the G3 program means the world, and I’m so grateful to be part of the Gibson family! ❤️ Also thank you to my G3 mentor Emily Wolfe for all the fun meets and new things I learnt!==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Unboxing0:40 - Clear Tone1:04 - Arpeggios1:27 - Carnatic Improvisation2:17 - Metal Riffs2:51 - Metal Solo3:07 - Outro#gibson #gibsonguitars #mayaneelakantan #gibsonguitar #lespaul #guitar #unboxing #unboxingvideo
1 Year Ago Today: Maya’s Epic AGT ‘Master of Puppets’ Performance! Maya Neelakantan 2025-08-28 | Today, exactly one year ago, I played "Master Of Puppets" live on America’s Got Talent! It was my first ever Live TV performance and such a surreal moment - I wasn’t that nervous but mainly excited to be back on stage. It was so special knowing my family in India and Australia were watching me on TV too at the same time so that was amazing as my first live TV experience! In the audience, KayCee from the Cliff Burton Family and her husband Jessie were there. KayCee was the one who made it possible for me to play a Metallica song on AGT by connecting my request directly to the Metallica team when no one else could reach them and I’ll always be so grateful for what she did. ❤️ This is why I wanted to give a big shout out to the Cliff Burton Family and Metallica for making that performance possible!Also in the audience were Chris Kontos (Forbidden drummer) and his wife Gwynne, who came all the way to Pasadena to support me. I remember first going on the stage (before my performance, there was a technical problem so I had to be on stage beforehand) and I could hear Chris in the audience calling me! A really special memory!Gary Holt even sent me a video of him and Lisa Holt watching at home, and Alex Skolnick (who had a show that night) posted about my performance right after he got back! Jessica Pimentel, my big sister who really helped me so much with stage nerves and encouragement, was also cheering me on and sharing her reactions! After the performance, I also had messages of support from Eric Peterson, Adam Jones, and of course Metallica themselves sharing it the very next morning. The rush of that night and the aftermath still gives me chills even now!Huge thanks to AGT for the opportunities, the friends, and the memories — the team feels like family now. And a special thanks to my friend Terry Crews who’s such an amazing person and someone I’m so grateful to know!Can’t believe it’s already been a year since this unforgettable experience. Amazing times, and I’ll never forget them! ❤️❤️❤️#agt #mayaneelakantan #metallica #masterofpuppets #mayametallica #mayaagt #agtquarterfinals #agtaudition #agt guitarist
The Audition - The Unforgettable Feeling Of The Stage And Aftermath! (AGT Vlog Series Ep 5) Maya Neelakantan 2025-08-06 | 🎬 EPISODE 5 – The Audition - The Unforgettable Feeling Of The Stage And Aftermath! (My AGT Journey Vlog Series)Today’s the day! This moment was unforgettable – my first time on stage. All the rehearsals, interviews, backstage moments, creation process, and amazing experiences I had all led up to this moment! I was really nervous about the audience after hearing their screams but was so excited to do this and finally play on stage and really, that amazing feeling was so much more than I ever thought it could be! I’ve been very excited to share this moment with all of you because even after a year, the feeling was so impactful for me that I can still recollect it now and even after the stage, it was so exciting enjoying the judges and audience’s reaction and the amazing aftermath which took place.Today I’ll show you all the performance, the thrilling feeling of finishing the performance and seeing everyone’s reaction, after the stage how blissful everything was and how this changed my life. It’s been amazing showing all of you behind the scenes of my AGT Audition Experience on this Vlog Series. This is my final episode of this series, and I hope you enjoyed it and I had a blast recollecting these times. Thank you for all your support and for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one! 😃❤️🎬 *Vlog Series:*1. Episode 1 - Flying to America for AGT: youtube.com/watch?v=ObWt1Lu7BoQ2. Episode 2 - First Day at AGT:youtube.com/watch?v=EiGESpYgq8I3. Episode 3 - My AGT Rehearsal Almost Failed:youtube.com/watch?v=nyxPoifoRzQ4. Episode 4 - The Backstage Nerves:youtube.com/watch?v=-H1uWMbL5fA5. Episode 5 - The Audition:youtube.com/watch?v=12OUPuO971cPlaylist - Maya Neelakantan: My AGT Journey:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcX1GhFsy7m1AEg08VE91WxYxERthVZWE#MayaNeelakantan #AGT #AGTAudition #AmericasGotTalent #LivePerformance #GuitarPerformance #MyAGTJourney #AGTVlog #FirstPerformance #HeavyMetal #CarnaticMusic
The Backstage Nerves - Just Minutes Before I Play On Stage! (My AGT Journey Vlog #4) Maya Neelakantan 2025-07-30 | 🎬 EPISODE 4 - Today’s vlog is a very cherished memory for me because it’s the first time I ever experienced the stage adrenaline and even though I was scared, I did everything I could to enjoy the feeling because I didn’t know when I would next experience this. Although these are old memories, it was special looking back at it because I never got a chance to share my actual experience at that time and what was going through my mind. Right now, as I am focusing purely on my music the past few months, these lookback videos has been really fun and it gives me a chance to connect with you all through this and it's becoming a really nice catalog of unforgettable memories. Just 1 more episode to go in this vlog series and I am looking forward to meeting you all again soon so I can show you the things I've learnt the past months! 😃So in this episode, I take you backstage at America’s Got Talent, right before I walk on for my first stage performance of my life. At this time, the nerves are getting real as the stage is just bare minutes away. Time seemed to go extremely slowly at the moment and this video captures those backstage nerves and preparation. 👀 In this episode:🎦 Behind-the-scenes footage from backstage at AGT😳 Emotional prep moments right before my performance🫣 What it's like standing just feet away from the AGT stage🙂 Hearing the deafening scream of the crowd for the first time😌 Final thoughts and nerves before stepping out😃 Talking to the AGT Judges for the first timeThis is a really fun and nerve racking episode and next up and final episode of this series will be the final moment itself - my stage performance and aftermath! It’s been fun doing this and I’m excited for our 5th episode! ❤️❤️❤️*Vlog Series:*1. Episode 1 - Flying to America for AGT: youtube.com/watch?v=ObWt1Lu7BoQ2. Episode 2 - First Day at AGT:youtube.com/watch?v=EiGESpYgq8I3. Episode 3 - My AGT Rehearsal Almost Failed:youtube.com/watch?v=nyxPoifoRzQ4. Episode 4 - The Backstage Nerves:youtube.com/watch?v=-H1uWMbL5fAPlaylist - Maya Neelakantan: My AGT Journey:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcX1GhFsy7m1AEg08VE91WxYxERthVZWE#MayaNeelakantan #AGT #AmericasGotTalent #AGTBackstage #AGTPerformance #FirstTimeOnStage #BehindTheScenes #YoungGuitarist #MetalGuitarist #MayaOnAGT #AGTVlog #PerformancePrep #stagenerves
My AGT Rehearsal Almost Failed... Until Gary Holt Saved It! | Maya Neelakantan AGT Vlog Ep 3 Maya Neelakantan 2025-07-16 | 🎬 EPISODE 3 – The Technical Trouble📺 Maya Neelakantan: My AGT Journey – From Auditions to Quarterfinals (Vlog Series)What happens when everything starts going wrong just before rehearsal at America’s Got Talent? 😱In this episode, a lot of unplanned difficulties happened in AGT Day 2 which was my performance day. The tone, which I customised for my audition, was completely off during the rehearsal all of a sudden and I only had 5 mins before they let the audience in! No one knew why it was sounding so bad until Gary Holt came in and fixed it up in time for me to rehearse properly at the last minute! Another incredible experience that happened that day is that I got to meet Terry Crews for the first time who interviewed me! 😃🎤 Terry Crews is a funny, compassionate, and lively person and I always admire watching him speak with so much enthusiasm! Since that day, Mr Crews and I have been very good friends and this was the best and funnest interview of my life. ❤️📸 What you'll see in this episode:😰 Getting ready for my performance day📟 Technical problems before AGT rehearsal🦹️ Gary Holt saving the day 🎤 Interview with Terry Crews*Vlog Series:*1. Episode 1 - Flying to America for AGT: youtube.com/watch?v=ObWt1Lu7BoQ2. Episode 2 - First Day at AGT:youtube.com/watch?v=EiGESpYgq8I3. Episode 3 - My AGT Rehearsal Almost Failed:youtube.com/watch?v=nyxPoifoRzQ4. Episode 4 - The Backstage Nerves:youtube.com/watch?v=-H1uWMbL5fAPlaylist - Maya Neelakantan: My AGT Journey:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcX1GhFsy7m1AEg08VE91WxYxERthVZWE📌 Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to follow my full AGT journey — from auditions to the quarterfinals!🔖 TAGS / HASHTAGS:#MayaNeelakantan #AGT #AmericasGotTalent #GaryHolt #MetalGuitarist #BackstageAGT #AGTVlog #AmpTrouble #Slayer #Exodus #MayaOnAGT #YoungGuitarist #GuitarGirl #AGTAudition #RealityTV #AGTBehindTheScenes
Stevie T gave me a SHOUTOUT!! 🎉🎸 Maya Neelakantan 2025-07-14 | Stevie T gave me a shoutout! 😃 I’ve been watching Stevie T’s videos since I was 5, even before I started learning to play guitar! His channel was a big reason for me to first pick up the guitar and his videos showed me how cool and exciting the guitar really is. It definitely played a big role in my journey.His videos have always been my go to whenever I want a good laugh and it’s really cool to see the world through a guitarist’s perspective. They’re very fun, so hilarious, and super entertaining, that’s stuck with me all these years.When I was 6, I actually sent Stevie T a video message because I was such a huge fan — and he replied back! It meant the world to me that time, and I still remember it clearly even now. So I was really surprised when I was watching one of his latest videos today and he mentioned me!! It was so fun (especially the bit about the singers 😂) and really made my day.Huge thanks to Stevie T for the awesome shoutout and for always making the guitar world funner and funnier. 😃🤘😃@SteveTerreberry #steviet #mayaneelakantan #steveterreberry
First Day at AGT – Interviews, Cameras & Surreal Moments | Maya Neelakantan AGT Vlog Ep 2 Maya Neelakantan 2025-07-09 | 🎬 EPISODE 2 – My First Day at AGT – Interviews, Cameras & Unforgettable Moments!📺 My AGT Journey – From Auditions to Quarterfinals (Vlog Series)This is my first day at America’s Got Talent! In this episode, I’m recollecting so many exciting, surreal, and unforgettable experiences that happened that day. It was my first time doing something I have never done in my life before, experiencing the world of reality TV and the awesome and overwhelming experience to see so many cameras, getting used to interviews happening nonstop, and so many behind-the-scenes moments that felt new and exciting! Not to mention meeting the one and only Gary Holt that day! Too many amazing things happened and it was very exciting talking about all this for you all.📸 Here's what you'll see in this episode:🐾 My first steps inside the AGT venue🎤 Getting miked up and preparing for interviews📺 Experiencing how reality filming works for the first time🤝 Meeting the amazing AGT production crew🤩 And... Meeting Gary Holt & Lisa Holt for the very first time! 🤯From feeling really nervous for the performance to soaking in the time spent with Gary and Lisa Holt, I’m bringing you along with me as I take it all in — one unforgettable moment at a time.*Vlog Series:*1. Episode 1 - Flying to America for AGT: youtube.com/watch?v=ObWt1Lu7BoQ2. Episode 2 - First Day at AGT:youtube.com/watch?v=EiGESpYgq8I3. Episode 3 - My AGT Rehearsal Almost Failed:youtube.com/watch?v=nyxPoifoRzQ4. Episode 4 - The Backstage Nerves:youtube.com/watch?v=-H1uWMbL5fAPlaylist - Maya Neelakantan: My AGT Journey:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcX1GhFsy7m1AEg08VE91WxYxERthVZWE➡ ️ Make sure to subscribe to join me on this whole journey — from rehearsals and backstage chaos to the live stage and everything beyond!#MayaNeelakantan #AGT2024 #AmericasGotTalent #AGTVlog #BehindTheScenes #RealityTV #GuitaristOnAGT #IndianMusician #DayInTheLife #LightsCameraChaos #FirstDayAtAGT
Flying to America for AGT – My Biggest Journey Begins! | Maya Neelakantan AGT Vlog Ep 1 Maya Neelakantan 2025-07-02 | 🎬 EPISODE 1 – Flying to America for AGT – My Biggest Journey Begins!📺 Maya Neelakantan: My AGT Journey – From Auditions to Quarterfinals (Vlog Series)In this first episode of my America’s Got Talent vlog series, I take you behind the scenes of my once-in-a-lifetime journey — from getting the call from AGT to leaving India, flying across the world, and preparing for the biggest performance of my life. 🌍✈️But right before the big day... I got sick. 😷 Find out how I pushed through and what it really felt like landing in the U.S. to follow a dream I’ve had since I was a kid.📽️ This episode is all about:AGT reaching out to me 🎤Flying to the U.S. for the auditionHow I prepared for the showThe emotional rollercoaster before it all began➡️ Subscribe for the full AGT journey — from backstage moments and rehearsals to the big stage and beyond!👉 Let me know in the comments where you're watching from and what dream you're chasing! 🎶💫*Personal Note From Maya:*Some of you may remember that I was planning to launch this vlog series last month. However, at the last moment, I decided to step back due to some personal hurt.After taking time to reflect — and especially after seeing all your love and support — I’ve come to realise that I shouldn’t let a few negative experiences stop me from sharing something that brought me so much joy.So, after a lot of thought, I’ve decided to go ahead and restart the AGT Vlog Series. I’m really looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you. Thank you for standing by me — it truly means the world. ❤️*Vlog Series:*1. Episode 1 - Flying to America for AGT: youtube.com/watch?v=ObWt1Lu7BoQ2. Episode 2 - First Day at AGT:youtube.com/watch?v=EiGESpYgq8I3. Episode 3 - My AGT Rehearsal Almost Failed:youtube.com/watch?v=nyxPoifoRzQ4. Episode 4 - The Backstage Nerves:youtube.com/watch?v=-H1uWMbL5fAPlaylist - Maya Neelakantan: My AGT Journey:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcX1GhFsy7m1AEg08VE91WxYxERthVZWE#MayaNeelakantan #AGT2024 #AmericasGotTalent #AGTvlog #GuitaristOnAGT #IndianMusician #BehindTheScenes #DreamBig #vlogseries
Kalpanaswaram in Todi — Inspired by Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer Maya Neelakantan 2025-06-06 | I am very happy to finally be playing some music for you all! I know it’s been a very long time and I do miss playing music here for you so I thought it’ll be awesome to come back playing some beautiful Carnatic music! This is a Kalpanaswaram (improvised melody) in the majestic raga Hanumatodi — a deeply meditative and powerful scale often considered one of the most challenging in Carnatic music! This piece is inspired by the legendary Veena maestro Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer who has been inspiring me so much during this break and his music always immediately gets me into a meditative state and I could just listen to him the whole day. He was born in 1888 and still today his music continues to inspire! I am very surprised that audio of his playing still exists. So I am playing a small section that I learnt by ear. This is in the raga Hanumatodi (which is the big daddy of the Phrigian mode and considered the toughest ragam to play) and this really takes me somewhere when I listen to it which always makes me so excited to practice to a point where I can play it perfectly and that’s the impact the music has on me. As I have been working on my own creativity, I have been taking in as much as I can by the people who inspire me as they all have an impact on my music creativity! Researching Karaikudi Sambassiva Iyer's work has been something I've been doing the past few months.So it has been very fun to play this and I do want to be playing more for all of you again! This is my thanks for all the support you have given me, both during the good times as well as difficult times. I hope you like it and I’ll see you in the next one! ❤️🤘#CarnaticMusic #TodiRaga #Kalpanaswaram #IndianClassicalMusic #RagaTodi #VeenaLegend #MusicImprovisation #LiveImprov #IndianMusic #guitarimprovisation #MayaNeelakantan #CarnaticGuitar #Guitarist #KaraikudiSambasivaIyer #InspiredByLegends #VeenaMaster
Hidden Gem in South India: Suchindram Temple & Heartwarming Village School Visit! Maya Neelakantan 2025-05-28 | A memorable trip to Suchindram, the southern most part in India! Couple weeks back, we went to my grandpa’s native place, Suchindram, for a vacation and it was very exciting going there for the first time in about 3 years! My grandpa is the president of the school there which provides free education for all the children and is where my grandpa himself studied. This school was started by my great great grandfather 104 years ago and passed on for generations in my family. My brother Rudhra was very excited going there and loved to see all the classrooms and exam areas! Other things we did was that we went to a lot of temples which are so beautiful and exquisite in the detail of every art work and room. There is a temple that is 2,500 years old! Something I always admire in temples are the “musical pillars” which when you hit them, creates a musical note! These are all around the temple and I found them really interesting. I also love looking at the art and when you look really closely at even one wall that has any art, you can see the amount of detail there that has been masterfully crafted. I can clearly see how when people are that passionate of their craft, perfection is what they aim for and is the product of their hard work. My brother also swam in the huge temple tank for the first time which is always a blast! A very memorable trip. So many great times!#suchindram #sthanumalayan #temples #omnamahshivaya🙏 #mayaneelakantan #thanumalayantemple
Today Is My 12th Birthday! 🎂🎁🎉 Maya Neelakantan 2025-05-04 | Today is my Birthday! I am 12 years old! 🥳😃🥳#happybirthday #mayaneelakantan #12thbirthday
Meeting TOOL Drummer Danny Carey Maya Neelakantan 2025-04-29 | Meeting the legendary drummer of TOOL, Danny Carey! Last year in the US, we went to 'Grape Ventura' where Danny Carey was preforming with Doug Webb. Then at the end of the show, Danny came out and I met him in person for the first time ever! That was such an experience and I’ve known his work for a long time as a major Tool fan myself and I really felt like a little fan girl seeing him there! He gifted me a signed drum head (which he wrote and drew on!) and I also got to meet Doug Webb! This was a special experience that day and I will also always remember the owners of The Grape Venture, as well as my good friend Joy who made this all possible. Such a humbling experience and a beautiful memory!#dannycarey #tool #mayaneelakantan #toolband #toolmusic #dougwebb #jazz #jazzmusic
Video I Created For United Nations World IP Day Event By WIPO Maya Neelakantan 2025-04-26 | Representing India For United Nation's Event - WIPO World IP Day! It's an honor to represent India for the United Nation's World IP Day Event By WIPO! Today is World Intellectual Property Day and a few weeks I was invited by WIPO's (United Nation agency) Indian representative to take part in the World IP Day event and talk about how important IP rights are for musicians for the World Intellectual Property Day (which is today). I only had 3 days to create my 90 sec video, plus, I created my own original music for this video! I was excited for this opportunity and for this project, I collaborated with my cousin Kashyap and it was very exciting working on this. So this is my video I’ve created for World Intellectual Property Day and the little soundtrack I composed!#worldipday #wipo #unitednations #mayaneelakantan #intellectualproperty #iprights #musicalcreativity
Gibson CEO, Gibson Vault and Priceless Guitars! Maya Neelakantan 2025-04-19 | A collage of such cherished memories in Gibson last year! This is when I first went to the Gibson Guitars HQ in Nashville and met their CEO Cesar Gueikian, an amazing friend of mine! We first got connected when he and Adam Jones gifted me a guitar when I was 9 years old. Since then, Mr Cesar has been supporting me and even gifted me a second guitar, a signed Dave Mustaine Flying V Signature Guitar for me to play on America’s Got Talent! Gibson has always been much more than a brand for me and I always think of them as my close friends and even my family. So it makes a lot of sense to call them "the Gibson Family" since I always felt that. When I was in Nashville, I also met not only Cesar but also Jordan and Paige from the Gibson team who have also been so supportive and loving for me. Mr Cesar let me play the iconic Gemini guitar which is the older sibling of Kirk Hammett’s Greeny, Adam Jones’s Collector Edition Signature V, and his own DES signature guitar that he himself created! He also took me to a personal tour of the special Gibson Vault with priceless guitars that is so amazing! We then jammed together many songs and this was such a memorable day. So grateful to the Gibson Family for all the love and support!#gibson #mayaneelakantan #gibsonguitars #adamjones #tool #lespaul #gibsoncustom
Meeting Alex Skolnick, My Guitar Teacher and A Guitar Legend! Maya Neelakantan 2025-04-11 | This was such an inspirational day meeting the legend Alex Skolnick! Mr Skolnick, who is now my guitar teacher, cleared his full day to hang out with me and he treated me and my family out to lunch for our first ever Dosa (a South Indian food) in the US! He also introduced me to Maddy, who has also now become a special friend. After lunch, Alex took us for a walk around New York and showed me many places! It was really fun walking and talking with him. We then went out to a very special guitar shop to experience a pure New York style guitar store. While there, we met the legends Pete Thorn and Mike Stern which was really crazy! Then, me and Alex Skolnick jammed together and he also played for me, too! It felt like my own one-on-one concert with the legend himself. So this is a snippet of us jamming “Into the Pit” (Testament), and I loved this moment. It was very difficult saying goodbye to him that day after all the memories made and I really miss him. He’s now my teacher and is guiding me on my musical creativity. So I loved watching this amazing memory that happened exactly 1 year ago! Such an unforgettable day! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️@TheRealAlexSkolnick #alexskolnick #mayaneelakantan #guitarteacher #testament #testamentband #intothepit #newyork
Meeting Forbidden Heavy Metal Band! Maya Neelakantan 2025-04-08 | A very special day with Forbidden! This is a memory of a super fun time we spent with the Metal band Forbidden. Their drummer, Chris Kontos and his wife Gwynne invited us to their studio (which was the first time we ever met) to meet and watch them rehearse their songs and also give me the chance to jam with them! We’ve become very great friends with them all and Craig Locicero, their guitarists, has taught me a lot of new things and different techniques about his playing which is always very interesting to learn about! He also introduced me to the band Mastodon and also even gave me the opportunity to meet them in person a few months later!! From here, we’ve met Chris, Gwynne and Craig many times and they are all very special people for me. In this video, I am playing their song 'Forbidden Evil' with them (for the first time too!) where I can enjoy this very memorable moment of music. I learned the intro of this song just on the spot, as Steve Smyth taught me there! So a very great day with Forbidden that was, and I wanted to share this with you all! 😃❤️🤘#forbidden #forbiddenevil #mayaneelakantan #chriskontos #craiglocicero
Meeting Eric Peterson from Testament! #testament Maya Neelakantan 2025-04-02 | Meeting Eric Peterson! This is a special memory of me meeting the Thrash Metal Legend Eric Peterson of Testament! I remember when we first met how excited I was to jam with him and we played for more than 3 hours at his home! First, he showed me all his guitars and I tried them which was such an experience and later, we started jamming and he started teaching for the rest of the day! This video is showing when we jammed his solo on the song “Children of the Next Level” and in that moment, it was just us jamming away and the feeling I had playing and meeting him was similar to the feeling of playing on stage! This solo we played is very special and I love how fun it was. You know, Eric Peterson is the first person who ever taught me in person and I still remember how much I’ve learned from him that day. The first time I ever got a pinch harmonic in my life was in his house right in front of him!! We all couldn’t believe it. I’ve been trying for so long but now after seeing him, I can play pinch harmonics whenever I want! That’s so special that memory. Before we left his home, he gifted me his own amp and signed it! He is also the first person to ever give me an amp! That’s so memorable and special. After meeting him, my comfort space has expanded a lot which has really helped me for everything in my life from then onwards. I always love talking to him and he’s just always so fun and interesting which makes me not only love playing with him, but also chatting with him. He’s been a great friend for me for a long time but after we met, that friendship just shot up so much! Eric Peterson is a very special person for me and I am so honoured that I got to meet him many times over the last year. This special memory of this solo happened exactly 1 year ago today. I am forever grateful to Eric Peterson for all the amazing times. #ericpeterson #mayaneelakantan #testament #thrashmetal #heavymetal
Gary Holt Gifting Me His Signature Guitar! #slayer #exodus Maya Neelakantan 2025-03-31 | The amazing memory of Gary Holt gifting me his signature guitar! There were so many first times when I met him at his home including the first time I ever received a guitar "in person" from my own idol! He was showing me all his guitars and brought out one to gift to me! I was so surprised and shocked to see this and watching this video gave me goosebumps and reminded me of that moment. I also remember an extremely meaningful sentence that he told me, “You’re everything that is good about guitar playing”. That day, I tried out some of his awesome guitars that are so special and ones that he uses on stage, in music videos, his own Purple Reign, and even his priceless "Beater" that he specially brought out of his storage vault to give me to try! Also during that day, it was the first time I ever jammed metal with anyone and it’s with the Thrash Legend himself! I can never forget that and I'll always be telling this story that the first person I ever jammed with was the Guitar God from Exodus & Slayer. I will always remember this day when I first met Gary and Lisa Holt in their home, an amazing memory to watch! This happened exactly 1 year ago and is a very special memory I will forever keep close to my heart.#garyholt #slayer #exodus #mayaneelakantan #espguitar
Legendary Cliff Burton’s Bass! #metallica Maya Neelakantan 2025-03-29 | Exactly 1 year ago, I got the honor to play the legendary Cliff Burton’s (Metallica) own bass guitar! It was a very special day when I met Ms KayCee who’s the stepsister of Cliff Burton for the first time. When we first went to the US, KayCee was the first person to invite me to their home! She and her husband Jessie are so kind and I remember KayCee showing us all of Cliff Burton’s memorabilia, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Trophy and priceless items including his acoustic, electric guitar and even his own bass. Even more, she gave them to me to play! I remember the moment when I was holding and playing his own bass and I could immediately feel his energy the second I picked it up. This is such a special and heart touching memory that I wanted to share with you all today!#cliffburton #metallica #mayaneelakantan #bass
My Little Brother Gets A New Drum Kit Maya Neelakantan 2025-03-27 | My little brother Rudhra has his very own drum kit! For a very long time he’s always wanted to be a drummer so he could jam with me so we bought him his first proper electronic drum set!! He’s always been the best brother ever and always hangs out with me no matter what and he’s always been asking to play drums with me every time he sees me practicing my guitar. So he was very excited to get his Alesis Nitro Max limited edition in red! Every day from then on, he’s been asking to practice drums every morning and evening and insists on getting better and better which is so amazing to see in him. Rudhra is also inspired by a very great friend Chris Kontos (drummer from Forbidden) and looks up to him a lot as his first drummer inspiration! Chris first put Rudhra on his drums and gave Rudhra his first drum lessons when we met him last year around this time and Rudhra has been wanting to play like him for so long! So this is my brother opening his new drum set!He says that the first songs he wants to play are Braindead and 7empest! #mayaneelakantan #rudhraneelakantan #alesisnitromeshkit #drums #drummer
America’s Got Talent Audition - Exactly 1 Year Ago! Maya Neelakantan 2025-03-17 | Today is my first America’s Got Talent performance anniversary! It is this day (March 17th) that I played on stage for the first time in my life and that was on AGT. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since this is an extremely meaningful and memorable day for me. I have to give a big thank you to the AGT team, the judges and my dear friend Terry Crews - they’ve made me so comfortable this entire time and took a lot of care of me which made this whole experience with them even more special and fun. It was very nice to know that they have my back and they helped me the entire time on stage. They knew this was my first performance on stage so they tried to make it as comfortable as possible which gave me a lot of confidence on that overwhelming day. So today, I’ve been looking back at these unforgettable memories and experiences that AGT provided (and also the amazing fact of Gary Holt being there to watch me the entire time) which I keep very close. I once again thank the entire America’s Got Talent crew for making this even more memorable. Such a special day! ❤️❤️❤️ #mayaneelakantan #agt #agtauditions #lastresort #americasgottalent #americasgottalent2024 #agt2024
First Time Meeting Gary Holt - Exactly 1 Year Ago! Maya Neelakantan 2025-03-16 | This day, exactly 1 year ago, I met the legend Gary Holt for the first time ever! I still remember the joy and happiness for me when I met him. That day was also 1 day before I auditioned on stage for America’s Got Talent and Gary Holt and his wife Lisa Holt flew all the way from Sacramento to Los Angeles to watch me play on AGT!! They knew it was my first time being in the US and also my first time being on stage so they came to cheer me on and honestly, knowing that the absolute Legend Gary Holt from Slayer/Exodus was flying all the way just to watch me, really gave me confidence. More than that, it also made me so much more excited to play for him and all of a sudden, the thought of playing in front of the judges wasn’t making me so nervous at all! The next day, the excitement of playing in front of Gary and Lisa Holt mixed with the adrenaline of playing on stage on America’s Got Talent gave me 1,000 times more happiness and satisfaction at the end. I cannot describe that feeling with words and I’m always, always going to remember my very first inspiration I met in person who also became my close friend, Gary Holt. I still remember the exact words Gary Holt told me the next morning (the day of the performance) when I was talking to him and saying how nervous I was to play on AGT. He said, “Every time you post a video, it’s to an audience of 13,000 people. This is way less than that! You got this!” An infinite thank you to Gary and Lisa Holt. ❤️❤️❤️
My Future Plans... Maya Neelakantan 2025-02-25 | 2024 has been an incredible year, no doubt! But experiencing fame also gave me a chance to see how things change around me so quickly, how people change and how life is when there is attention. This made me wonder what should I do next? Should I follow the fame while my name is still trending, start playing popular solos and songs to get more views and followers, keep going to all events and PR offers coming my way (or) should I decline all of these opportunities that exists right now and follow only what is special to me even if it comes at the cost of 'missed opportunities' as some might say it. This is where my trusted friends and my family helped me! So today, I want to talk to you about what my heart says on what I should do next.
Life is beautiful in its simplicity! Maya Neelakantan 2025-02-15 | Life is really beautiful in its simplicity! Playing with one of the cows in my grandma’s village! My grandma has an animal shelter in her ashram and she takes care of abandoned cows and bulls that would’ve been sent straight to the slaughter house and even dogs, cats, birds, squirrels and pretty much any animals that needs help and she’ll take care of them till the very end. Every time I go there I love watching and playing with these animals because they love their life and are extremely grateful and happy with what they have. Their innocence in their heart, nothing evil, no ego, no hate and yet so evolved showing so much emotions. I even watch mothers cleaning their child and long time friends always grooming each other and you can easily tell how evolved these animals are. I love spending time with them and each cow has a different personality and nature which you can only see and understand through spending time with them and in a way, they’re kinda like humans since every one of them are different and unique in their own ways. They show so much love and affection which melts our heart. This particular cow, her name is Lakshmi, is very playful and friendly and her licking like this is her way to play! I’m sure she’s a small calf in her mind. I really love these animals and I do hope that everyone will one day see these creatures the same way I see them. ❤️🐄❤️#cow #animals #gosala #ashram
Metallica - Fade To Black - Cliff Burton Tribute! Maya Neelakantan 2025-02-11 | Fade To Black - Metallica. A special tribute to Cliff Burton from Metallica! Yesterday was Cliff Burton's birthday and I played this song as a special tribute to him for the Cliff Burton Day event held on 8th and 10th Feb. The Cliff Burton Family has been very supportive ever since we got connected way back in 2022 when they awarded me the Cliff Burton Scholarship. This video gave me a chance to look back at the special connection I've had with Cliff Burton being an inspiration when I started playing guitar, to the moment I got connected to his loving family and created a very special friendship and to the time when they helped me by connecting me to Metallica to get Master of Puppets song cleared for me for the first time ever when I played on America’s Got Talent just recently! Do you know Master of Puppets is one of Cliff's favourite songs and his favourite album? It's been quite a journey. So here is a special tribute to Cliff Burton and I've added my own improvs to “Fade To Black”. I played this with no backtrack and with only programmed drums and bass. I really love “Fade to Black” as it is one of my most favourite songs because of how touching and heartfelt it is. I really wanted to make it special for Cliff Burton to honour his legacy so let’s all take a moment to remember this legend! #metallica #cliffburton #mayaneelakantan #fadetoblack #ridethelightning #metallicacover #heavymetal #thrashmetal ==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Intro0:50 - Song Intro4:33 - Solo6:30 - Tribute
SLAYER - World Painted Blood - Jeff Hanneman Tribute Maya Neelakantan 2025-01-31 | SLAYER - World Painted Blood - Jeff Hanneman Tribute! Today is a day to remember the legend Jeff Hanneman! It’s his birthday today. His wife, Ms Kathryn Hanneman is a very important person in my life. She had been following me for some years now and I got the pleasure of meeting her for the first time when I was in Las Vegas last year. She is very sweet, affectionate, loving, and is a very sincere and kind hearted person. She loves Mr Hanneman a lot and it was very sad but as well as inspiring hearing her talk about him. When we met, she had shocked me by gifting me the first prototype of the Jeff Hanneman Tribute Series Guitar! This Tribute Series was made about 6 months after Mr Hanneman passed away and ESP only created 666 numbers of this but this guitar that she gave is the first prototype before any of the others! She has kept this guitar so close to her this entire time and now, she gifts it to me, and passes on Jeff Hanneman’s legacy! A priceless guitar that has never been played before! I’m touched, grateful, and honored to be carrying on Mr Hanneman’s legacy and he is a legend who is impossible to forget. Although he is not "physically" with us I know that he is still here right now. I chose this song, “World Painted Blood” to play because I asked Kathryn what was his most favourite of his songs and she said that he was very proud of “World Painted Blood”. I actually learnt this song when I was very little (7-8 yrs old) since it's a fun song to play and a great song to improve my galloping, alternate picking and down strokes all in one song! Although I didn’t play the solo or at the full speed at that time, and after hearing that Mr Hanneman really liked this I thought I’ll revisit it for his birthday, a perfect occasion to play this special tribute guitar for the first time ever. I’m very thankful for having Kathryn Hanneman as a very close friend and for me, she’s part of my family now! So today, we should remember the amazing legend Jeff Hanneman of Slayer and his legacy which can never be forgotten. ==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Intro0:27 - Song Intro2:07 - Solo2:55 - Song Outro4:45 - Tribute#slayer #jeffhanneman #mayaneelakantan #worldpaintedblood #thrashmetal #slayerband #espguitar #kerryking
YouTube Silver Play Button For 100,000 Subscribers! Maya Neelakantan 2025-01-26 | Opening YouTube Silver Play Button For 100,000 Subscribers! It's really nice YouTube does this. My parents always remind me that the Likes, Subscribers and Followers count should not decide my happiness because these are not the right metrics to use to define my success. I always remember that and my parents tell me if Social Media is used right, it can be a very powerful tool to make connections with people through our passion which can become meaningful and motivational too. And that is exactly what has happened to me. When I opened this Silver Play button (that was gifted to me by YouTube for reaching 100k subscribers), it gave me chance to look back and be grateful to all the connections I have made over the years, how my passion for music has brought me close to so many positive people from around world, gave me the opportunity to not only meet my idols but also become good friends with them, through AGT took me to the biggest stage on the world for my first stage performance that got me connected to even more kind people and has given me so many amazing experiences over the years. For that I am very grateful for all the people who have supported me, continue to believe in me and I am looking forward to the future as I continue following my passion which connects all of us together as a family! So thank you everybody for this.#youtubesilverbutton #100ksubscribers #thankyou #mayaneelakantan #youtube
TOOL - Flood - With Cameron Winters (Undertow) Maya Neelakantan 2025-01-19 | Cover of Flood by TOOL ft Cameron Winters! @CameronWinters is a good friend of mine and a great guitarist and I’ve known him for a long time! He used to be my go-to guy for TOOL covers online since I was 8 years old and also my consultant for any tone related questions. 😁 So I wanted to do a fun little project with him so we did a collaboration on this fun song from the old school Undertow album by TOOL! We recorded this around June last year but America’s Got Talent Quarterfinals preparation started soon after, then we went to the US and a lot of stuff came up so it took a little late to put together the video. I look so young when I watch this again now! It was very fun doing this and we had a blast. Big thanks to my friend Cameron for joining me on this super fun project! 😃🤘🤘@CameronWinters #toolband #flood #undertow #adamjones #mayaneelakantan #cameronwinters #toolmusic #toolsong #toolundertow #toolflood #undertowalbum
Adam Jones 60th Birthday! Maya Neelakantan 2025-01-15 | Happy 60th birthday to my great friend Adam Jones from Tool! Adam Jones has been my biggest inspiration and such an incredible friend. With his encouragement and support I think I am able to be where I am now and it’s because of him. He is an amazing and special person and so kind and loving and is also a genius at his art. He invited me and my family to his home when I was in the US couple of months ago and it was just such a wonderful experience getting to finally speak to him in person. Not only that, he also invited us to also spend Halloween with him and it was so fun since it was the first time me and my brother ever did trick or treating! During this time I got to witness how amazing he is, a great dad, really funny person to hang with, has a very unique vision, a genius to talk to, very truthful by nature, a genuine person and has an amazing family. The memories he has created are priceless forever. I’m very grateful for everything he’s done and he is an incredible inspiration and an equally wonderful friend! We are all so blessed to have an amazing artist and songwriter like him. Congratulations Adam Jones and enjoy your very special day! ❤️❤️❤️#adamjones #mayaneelakantan #toolband #60thbirthday #happybirthday #toolmusic #adamjones_tv
Memories from 2024! Maya Neelakantan 2025-01-06 | These are some awesome memories of 2024! It’s been an unforgettable time meeting so many idols, fans, and making many friends! 2024 has been a year of so many first times for me and has been very memorable! ❤️❤️❤️ So these are just a few pics of the Amazing Experiences that happened last year! I’ll hold on to these memories forever.#2024 #mayaneelakantan #garyholt #alexskolnick #ericpeterson #adamjones #dannycarey #toolband #cliffburton #terrycrews #simoncowell #jeffhanneman #kerryking #lzzyhale #chuckbilly #chrisdovas #stevedigiorgio #chriskontos #jasonbecker #craglocicero #agt #exodus #testament #stevesouza #possessed #kreator #jeffbecerra
Invincible - TOOL - With Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian Maya Neelakantan 2025-01-02 | Happy Birthday to my good friend Cesar Gueikian!!! Mr Gueikian is the CEO of Gibson and he is a wonderful person. Let's all wish him a Happy Birthday and make his day. Him and Adam Jones gifted me a guitar when I was 9 years old and since then he has been a very good friend. He had also gifted me a 2nd guitar, Dave Mustaine's V, which I played on America’s Got Talent Quarterfinals and he’s the first person to ever gift me 2 guitars! I was very excited to meet him when I was in Nashville last year and he showed me so many things, The Gibson Vault, Adam Jones V collector's edition and my favourite part is when we jammed together! It was such a blast and I had an amazing time so this is one of the songs that we played together as big TOOL fans! This is the song “Invincible” by Tool and I was so happy when we jammed this. This was actually the first song we jammed together and we improved it as we were playing. We were really enjoying it and these are very fond memories. Happy Birthday Mr Cesar and I hope you have an incredible day! ❤️❤️❤️#invincible #gibson #mayaneelakantan #toolband #toolmusic #gibsonguitars #gibsonusa #fearinoculum
Happy New Year 2025! Maya Neelakantan 2024-12-31 | Happy New Year To You All! It’s been such a crazy, fun, and memorable 2024 and I’m so grateful to all that has happened and especially to all of you who’ve been supporting me! I’m so happy to have shared this remarkable journey with you all! ❤️ I look forward to 2025 and I wish each and every one of you an Amazing Year ahead full of special memories to keep forever! ❤️❤️❤️🤘#2025 #newyear #happynewyear #2024 #mayaneelakantan
Forbidden - Songwriting And Chalice Of Blood Tutorial Maya Neelakantan 2024-12-26 | I had an amazing day hanging with my friends from the heavy metal band Forbidden, a couple of months ago! I’ve known them for a while, they are all great people and I have met them a few times. This time they invited me to their studio where they were working on their new album and I could watch them create their new songs and I could learn a lot from that since I could see their creation process and see them create their amazing new material. It was really interesting to see how the guitarist Craig Locicero and the drummer Chris Kontos work together in creating their songs. I’m very happy I could be there to witness it! It taught me so much and it sounded so amazing! I then jammed with Chris and surprised Craig by playing their iconic song “Chalice Of Blood” and his solo! I learnt the song by ear and later Craig then taught me how he plays the song and it was very great to learn that from him. I had such a blast and it was the 2nd time I got to hang with the band in their studio! Such amazing memories and I’m so happy I could see how song creation works in a live band up close and it’s something I really needed and wanted to see. Thank you so much Chris, Craig, Matt and Gwynne for the special day! They all are very special people in my life. ❤️❤️❤️#forbidden #forbiddenband #forbiddenevil #chaliceofblood #braindead #chriskontos #craiglocicero #mayaneelakantan #garyholt ==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Trailer0:12 - Intro0:37 - Songwriting1:11 - Brain Dead2:06 - Chalice Of Blood5:12 - Tutorial16:20 - Outro
System Of A Down - Chop Suey! - Maya & Yoyoka (Live Studio Jam) Maya Neelakantan 2024-12-10 | “Chop Suey!” by "System Of A Down" - Jamming with my friend @yoyoka_soma ! A special shout out to System Of A Down and Gibson because there is a special story behind this. I was planning to play this song if I proceeded to the finals on America's Got Talent and to get this song specially approved for me, I reached out to my friends Cesar Gueikian (Gibson CEO) and Jenny Marsh (Gibson Artist Relation Director) and they connected me directly to Serj Tankian's (SOAD Singer) team. Serj's manager was so kind & helpful and after talking to Serj Tankian and SOAD band, they approved this song for AGT so I can play it on stage. I was looking forward to this since it would've been a special tribute to the band as they had so much faith in me to approve this song which itself is such an honor. Since I didn't go through, I decided to jam this with my good friend Yoyoka as a thanks to them. I wanted to do something different so just 2 days before jamming I decided to play the vocals as well since its a big part in this song & as a tribute to Serj. Not only that, during the same week Alex Skolnick (Testament Guitarist) gifted me his signature guitar too! So now, this video is a combination of a special tribute to System of a Down for trusting me, thanking Gibson for always supporting me right from the beginning & I'm wearing the Gibson strap to show my gratitude, to Alex Skonick for inspiring me and gifting me his beautiful guitar that week and I'm using Adam Jones' pick (TOOL guitarist) and wearing the necklaces that he gifted me just the previous day when I met him at his home! What a mixture of great memories!This is a live jam with no edits as I feel it's the best when music is played live & has the natural feeling to it. I did record a second layer to support the vocal melodies at the end. I had a great time playing this with Yoyoka!#systemofadown #soad #chopsuey #mayaneelakantan #yoyoka #serjtankian #gibson #alexskolnick #alexskolnickesp #daronmalakian #shavoodadjian #johndolmayan #agt
Alex Skolnick Gifting Me His Signature Guitar - ESP LTD AS-1FR Maya Neelakantan 2024-11-26 | Alex Skolnick Gifting Me His Signature Guitar - ESP LTD AS-1FR! Recently when I was in the US, Alex Skolnick, the legendary guitarist, gifted me his ESP Signature guitar as a surprise. This happened just 3 days after I played 'Curse of the Legions of Death' with Testament on stage in Las Vegas! He actually even showed me this exact model of guitar he has that he used to play on stage with me and even then he didn’t say he’s going to be sending me a guitar! That’s why it was such an unexpected amazing surprise! He has been my very good friend for more than 2 years and has not only been supportive but also teaching me so many new things. When I was in Los Angeles, he texted me once and said that he was going to send me some strings but instead, he sent this majestic guitar! I did not expect that at all. I’ve met him many times, jammed with him on stage, and still he gives me his guitar even though he’s already such a dear friend which is already more than enough!! That shows what a person he is. I called him straight away when I got the guitar and he was apologising for lying about the strings and said he did give strings in a way because they were on the guitar! That’s so him and I just love the way he is, how he talks, and how he is. I wanted to get him to sign the guitar for me in person. And luckily, just 6 weeks later he was playing in LA and I got to meet him again! Not only that, after he signed the guitar, I asked him to play it too! That made this guitar even more priceless. Even more, I got to jam his song, “Musical Death” with him which was so unforgettable! Playing his own guitar to the legend himself! It was such a blast while he was doing the acoustic and I was playing his solo. I’ll always remember these beautiful times and what a good person he is! I’m honored to have gotten to know him the past few years and I got to see him so many times this trip and learn so much from him! He’s been a teacher to me right from the start because he always tells me about things that inspired him, where he learned from, and suggests tips for me that’ll help me. You know, this is the first Les Paul shaped guitar that has a whammy bar that I own! That makes it even more special. Thank you so much for this beautiful present @TheRealAlexSkolnick I know we’ll meet and jam again and I hope you’re having a great and fun tour!!!==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Intro0:22 - Opening Guitar2:42 - Flashback4:50 - Alex Signing5:55 - Musical Death7:05 - Outro#alexskolnick #mayaneelakantan #espguitar #testament #metal
Flying Back To India After Amazing US Trip! Maya Neelakantan 2024-11-12 | I’m flying back to India!!! It’s been an INCREDIBLE journey in the USA and now I’m so excited to head back home! I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting me the entire time on this crazy journey this year! ❤️❤️❤️#mayaneelakantan #agt
Jamming On Stage With EXODUS - Brain Dead Maya Neelakantan 2024-11-08 | Jamming With EXODUS! I really had so much fun playing on stage with EXODUS in Orlando, Florida! Every one of the band members were so happy to see and play with me which made me even more excited to see them! Everybody was so kind and welcoming and I was so happy they knew me and were so excited! You know, just that day I told Gary Holt that I learned his solo and asked if I can play it on stage and he said that’ll be really cool and he likes playing the rhythm anyway! He taught me the riffs and then I learnt the solo by ear to surprise him. He told me to use his awesome new Blood Splattered V ESP Guitar on stage! I really love that guitar with all the blood and gore and it’s just so METAL! So Gary Holt! That’s one of the best guitars I’ve ever seen. I was So Excited to play with him. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time!Playing on stage with them was so incredible. I was just jamming with Gary Holt and I was enjoying it so much!!! Before the solo, I could see Gary Holt telling Lee Altus that I’m doing his solo! All of this was happening live on stage while playing which was just so awesome. Then I played the solo. I was playing with Gary Holt that time and I could see how happy and proud he was. That solo was the first time I’ve done those whammy tricks on stage and Gary Holt inspires me so much on that so I knew that I have to! Then, at the final end, I did the chords and Gary did the outro solo and in the end, we finished the riff together. That was such an unforgettable moment with him. And throughout the song, I got to jam with all the band members, had a special moment with Steve “Zetro” Souza and I could see how excited and happy they all were. These experiences is what I love about playing on stage and seeing all of the reactions of the band members and audience and seeing how happy and proud they all are. And the audience were amazing! They were fully chanting my name before and after the song which was amazing! I really, really had a memorable time on stage and it was the best way to end my trip to the US this year! Thank you so much Gary Holt and Exodus for inviting me to join you on stage and making this a very special experience!#exodus #mayaneelakantan #garyholt #braindead #metal #thrashmetal #thrashmetalbands ==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Intro1:11 - Entering Stage1:58 - Brain Dead4:49 - Solo5:36 - Outro6:32 - Ending
Joining Gary Holt On Stage In Exodus Concert At Florida! Maya Neelakantan 2024-11-04 | I’m going to jam with EXODUS on stage in their concert this evening!!! It’ll be at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida and I really can’t wait! See you there! 🤘🤘🤘#garyholtofficial #garyholt #mayaneelakantan #exodus #exodusband #thrashmetal
Meeting Jason Becker - The Guitar Legend! Maya Neelakantan 2024-10-28 | Meeting Jason Becker - The Guitar Legend! What I discovered after meeting him was that there was already a connection between us culturally, musically and spiritually even before we even met. That made it feel like it was all meant to happen but we’re only realising it now.I was so inspired when I met Jason Becker. It was very emotional to see that even with ALS for over 30 years that stopped everything in his body, it didn’t stop his determination and he still remains happy, passionate, funny, giving and never gives up despite having one of the worst illnesses ever. It made me realise how grateful we should be with our life and how we should always make the best of every moment we are alive. It’s a shame we realise the importance only when we lose something forever. That’s why Jason is an absolute inspiration to so many people and shows how following our passion inspite of any hurdles is so important in our life. When I met him I wanted to show him the Indian Traditional Carnatic music because I can feel an instant divine connection through it. I heard he’s always had people playing all Heavy Metal and shredding in the past so today when I met him I wanted to give him an experience that’s also really special to me. During that time, the music took us to a place where each & everyone there were feeling something unexplainable and I was feeling all of us in that room merged as one beyond our body & mind! When I was playing, I could feel the energy from him and that really makes me so happy to see him enjoying it and I could make the connection to him through music. This meeting is nothing short of a magical experience!The past months I’ve had some really emotional experiences and these events really changes me every time and teaches me to be a better person. I cannot thank Mr Becker enough for such a wonderful, inspiring and emotional day. I will forever proudly have it close to my heart that I got to meet this absolute living legend and I got to share a special moment with him that I’ll cherish forever! The sitar guitar he gifted to me is a very special treasure that will remind me of him everyday! ❤️❤️❤️==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Intro1:17 - Meeting Jason Becker4:41 - Playing Fender Strat12:49 - Sitar Guitar16:07 - Gifting Guitar17:27 - Future Plans23:09 - Outro
Emotional Experience With Jason Becker Playing Carnatic Music! Maya Neelakantan 2024-10-18 | Me playing for Jason Becker (the Guitar Legend) yesterday!! I wanted to play Indian Traditional Carnatic Music for him to give him an experience that I feel when I play it so I played a 5 minute improvisation on one of my favourite Carnatic Ragas (scales), Jaganmohini. I was really experiencing the music that time while playing and I could feel that he was travelling with me too. I just really love playing Carnatic music since it instantly takes me to a special divine place so I wanted to do something special just for Jason. When I finished playing, I saw his face lighten up with a big smile and he was very happy. That moment, I will cherish forever! It was an honor playing to the legend himself Jason Becker!!!Next to me were my friends Craig Locicero and Chris Kontos (from Forbidden band), Dave Lopez, Jason’s family and Gwynne Coffee on the other side. Later on I will post the full video of me meeting him and the special guitar he gifted to me. But first I want to share this moment with you all since we all experienced something really special this time. This is why I always believe there is nothing more powerful than connecting through Music. And in that zone, in that place, in that moment, we don’t need language to communicate with each other. I experienced that special moment with Jason Becker yesterday which touched my heart.Here, I’m playing one of his guitar, a Fender Stratocaster which is also the first time I’m playing a Fender guitar!#jasonbecker #mayaneelakantan
I’m Going To The Aftershock Festival Maya Neelakantan 2024-10-10 | The Aftershock Festival in Sacramento starts today! I’m going to be going there for the next 4 days in the evenings so if any of you see me there, feel free to come say hi! I’m really excited to see so many amazing bands and I hope I can see you too! It’s going to be a fun weekend!#mayaneelakantan #aftershock #aftershockfestival
Killing In The Name (Rage Against The Machine) - Studio Live Jam By Maya & Yoyoka! Maya Neelakantan 2024-10-09 | Killing in the Name (Rage Against The Machine) - Studio Live Jam By Maya & Yoyoka! This is a special song because I was going to be playing this if I proceeded to the America’s Got Talent Semi Finals and everyone in AGT said that this wouldn’t get cleared since Rage Against The Machine has never cleared for AGT before, just like Metallica! So, with the help of Tom Morello (guitarist from RATM) and Adam Jones (guitarist from Tool), Rage Against The Machine specially cleared this song for me to play on AGT in just 2 weeks! So it’s really special how we got this song approved and since I didn’t proceed to the Semi Finals, I thought that this special song would be best to play with my friend Yoyoka! I also did this as a surprise to Tom Morello and Adam Jones as my way to Thank them and the band for trusting and helping me. It was amazing jamming this with Yoyoka and I feel it’s always different playing with live drums and is so much fun! We did a live jam just like last time with no rehearsals and record the whole song in 1 take. We also decided not to use the clicks or backtrack and just jam at our natural tempo. It was a blast doing this with her! I also added a couple of improvs that I was working on which was really fun doing. I really enjoyed playing this with Yoyoka and this will always be a special song. Thanks to Adam Jones, Tom Morello, Rage Against The Machine and now Yoyoka! As always, I had an incredible time with Yoyoka! Yoyoka's 15th Birthday and her 1st Album "For Teen" is coming out this Sunday. She is having the Album Release Concert in The Bourbon Room in Hollywood on Oct 13th. A big congratulations to Yoyoka for her first album release and I am sure she is going to do amazing things as a very talented drummer! If you can, you should check out her release concert this Sunday! Also thank you Aki Soma for the mixing and to Montecito Music and Media for filming in their awesome studio in Sierra Madre, California.Lastly, thanks again Adam Jones and Tom Morello for helping with AGT!==== Contents of this Video ====0:00 - Intro0:13 - Intro Solo0:21 - Song Riffs3:04 - Improv Solo3:19 - Bridge3:50 - Whammy Solo4:34 - Outro#killinginthename #tommorello #adamjones #mayaneelakantan #yoyoka #rageagainstthemachine @yoyoka_soma @rageagainstthemachineofficial
