Manchester-based child prodigy Leonardo Patrick is no stranger to internet fame. The 10-year-old guitarist has scored countless viral videos busking pop-rock hits from Eric Clapton to Led Zeppelin, George Michael to Oasis, and beyond.
But one of Leonardo’s recent YouTube uploads is showing the child star in a brand new light, as he trades his usual public performance to give us a glimpse of the true magic that unfolds backstage: a moment of pure, unadulterated talent, with no crowd-pleasing in mind.
Covering Johnny Cash’s 1956 hit, “I Walk The Line,” on a backstage sofa, with his twin brother beside him, this clip reveals what makes Leonardo a true child prodigy, as he picks up a guitar in an all-natural setting and crafts breathtaking music on the spot. Music Man readers can watch the moment unfold in the viral video above – it’s already topped 365,000 views to date!
At just nine years of age in this clip, Leonardo takes on the country classic like a tiny pro, first tapping a beat on the body of his acoustic guitar, which gets looped on his off-camera loop pedal, before diving straight into a mystifying solo complete with slides and lightning-fast riffs.
He conjures up a true country sound as a one-boy band, smiling through his set while flitting seamlessly between picked riffs, strummed chords, and all-out solos delivered like improvisations. His loop machine builds each part into a fully-realized piece that sounds totally extraordinary for a guitarist of Leonardo’s age.
All the while, Leonardo’s identically dressed twin brother sits further along the sofa, totally unimpressed, as if this staggering performance marks just another normal day in the Patrick household!
Born in 2016, Leonardo has already amassed an incredible 496,000 subscribers on YouTube, 863,000 followers on Instagram, on top of a staggering 367,200 followers and 5.8 million likes over on TikTok.
He has an innate love for rock and pop classics, covering bands from Metallica to The Beatles across his social media pages.
But when he’s not putting the internet into meltdown mode through his countless viral videos, Leonardo is often sighted busking on the streets of his Manchester hometown, wowing listeners in real life as well as on screen!
While his parents handle his social media accounts, they admit their son’s talent is driven completely by Leonardo himself.
As mum, Charbella Patrick, wrote on one of his Instagram posts, “Leonardo got his first real guitar aged 4 after he kept building a guitar out of his building block toys and pretended to play along with the music. This was completely organic, and we have never instigated or forced him to play the guitar.”
Charbella also revealed, “It is completely his choice to have long hair,” adding an even more wholesome side to the emerging guitar pro.
Leonardo Patrick is certainly one to watch — this stripped-back backstage performance offers rare proof of his prodigious talent. If you want to discover more from this extraordinary young guitarist, check out the useful links to find out more below this paragraph.