The family that rocks together, stays together! Before her viral performance with the Foo Fighters, 9-year-old Nandi Bushell set the internet ablaze right from her living room. Nandi rocked The White Stripes’ banger “Seven Nation Army” on her drum kit, bringing the power on Meg White’s iconic parts while her dad John played Jack White’s famous guitar riffs. And can we just say, aside from her impressive musical skills, Nandi is the definition of natural-born rocker and entertainer! You can’t learn that kind of passion, folks.
Nandi sure knows how to wail on the kit, bringing plenty of power to the garage rock classic. Dad certainly doesn’t disappoint either, laying down a groovy riff that his daughter locks in to perfectly. Seeing Nandi and her dad enjoy this moment together is just too sweet. The smiles they share at the end added some extra cuteness to the collab. It’s easy to see why 5.4 million rockers couldn’t get enough of this dynamic duo!
Their musical connection began long before this recording went online. Growing up in Ipswich, Nandi picked up her first toy kit around age five as a reward for doing well in maths club. Her interest was sparked after watching Ringo Starr play drums during family breakfasts spent watching music videos, and John, who had played in bands since he was 16, noticed her natural sense of rhythm right away. Before long, their home was filled with casual jam sessions spanning classic alternative and modern rock tracks.
The White Stripes had an especially meaningful place in Nandi’s musical roots. She said that on the exact day she got her first drum set, her dad introduced her to the music video for “Seven Nation Army”. Seeing Meg White behind the kit inspired her immediately, turning Meg into one of her earliest musical heroes. That makes their cover feel less like a novelty performance and more like a full-circle moment rooted in the very song that got her hooked on drumming. See Nandi’s 17-million-view viral moment playing “Everlong” live onstage with the Foo Fighters at the Forum in LA below.
Nandi scored a number of viral videos early in her YouTube career, but it was her dad-and-daughter “Seven Nation Army” cover that really caught the algorithm in a big way. By the time the video was uploaded, Nandi was already starting to catch the attention of major artists. Earlier that year, Lenny Kravitz invited her to jam with him before a concert at London’s O2 Arena after spotting her playing online.
Nandi’s early collaborations helped set the stage for an extraordinary rise. In the years that followed, Nandi went from viral family sessions to a headline-grabbing collab with the Foo Fighters in an LA arena. Yet watching her lock into the groove beside her dad reveals the real foundation of her craft, showing how simple encouragement and a shared love for rock and roll can launch something truly remarkable.