'America's Got Talent' Season 19 Contestant Drops Jaws With Quarterfinal Performance

Following her impressive America's Got Talent audition back on June 25, 11-year-old Maya Neelakantan blew audiences away once again with a Quarterfinal performance that will go down in history.

John Nick John Nick
Aug 30, 2024 - 22:08
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'America's Got Talent' Season 19 Contestant Drops Jaws With Quarterfinal Performance

After seamlessly gliding her way through Papa Roach's "Last Resort" in the audition, a song known to be tricky to perform on the guitar, Maya took things up a notch by performing one of the toughest guitar challenges ever crafted — Metallica's "Master of Puppets." In doing so, she made history as the first to ever perform the song in AGT's 19 seasons and even left her 83k Instagram followers in awe.

Supported by an appropriately fiery backdrop, Maya casually walked around the stage, beaming from ear to ear, whilst she unconcernedly perfected one of music's hardest songs. Of course, she didn't just perfect the Metallica song, she used a blend of her Indian musical culture to twist a section of the performance and make it her own. Despite her young age, there's a good chance that Maya might be one of the most talented performers in this year's competition, and is surely a favorite to make it all the way to the final.

Once she had finished, Howie Mandel was the first to comment, noting just how much of a surprise she was. Mandel said, "You are a surprise, you're amazing, I love you and I think America's going to love you too." Next to comment was Heidi Klum, who called for America to get voting for Maya. Sofía Vergara remarked next on her disbelief, and even called it the "most fun I've had tonight." Finally, judge Simon Cowell, famously the hardest of the four to impress, was quick to thank Metallica for letting her perform the song and make history on the show. He then added, "I think you're just one of these people who've just got a God-given talent," before noting how Maya had improved on her already impressive audition.

'America's Got Talent's Quarterfinal 3 Was Full of Musical Talent

The third of AGT Season 19's quarterfinals was musically heavy, with some of the best auditionees with a talent for the tuneful taking to the stage. Alongside Maya, the other 10 performances included singer Dee Dee Simon, danger act Jelly Boy the Clown, young singer Journeyy, aerialist Kelsey Jane, comedian Learnmore Jonasi, boy band Menudo, singer Reid Wilson, dance group Sabrina, magician Sam Huang, and band The Reklaws. Out of the pack, it was Dee Dee Simon who earned Heidi's golden buzzer, sending her straight through as she avoids the public vote and joins the others from the first two quarterfinals to have gone through.

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America's Got Talent
TV-PG

A popular talent show where contestants from all walks of life compete for a chance to win a substantial cash prize and the title of America's most talented performer. Acts include singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other unique talents, all performing in front of a panel of judges and a live audience. Each episode includes auditions, judge deliberations, and audience reactions, leading up to live shows where viewers can vote for their favorites. 

Release DateJune 21, 2006
CastRegis Philbin , Jerry Springer , Nick Cannon , Tyra Banks , Terry Crews , Piers Morgan , David Hasselhoff , Brandy Norwood , Sharon Osbourne , Howie Mandel , Howard Stern , Mel B , heidi klum , Simon Cowell , Julianne Hough , Gabrielle Union , Sofia Vergara