There are many very talented musicians out there, but there are also a handful of prodigies. It’s fair to say that an eleven-year-old drummer who can beat Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl in a drum battle counts as a prodigy.
Nandi Bushell was born in South Africa but moved with her parents to Ipswich in the UK when she was a baby. When she was five years old, her dad showed her a video of The Beatles playing Hey Jude. Nandi was transfixed, not by the charisma of John or Paul, but by Ringo’s drumming. Instantly she wanted to try it herself.
A few weeks later, her parents bought her her first drum kit to reward her for her school marks.
Nandi began learning to play with her dad, and a year later, her parents helped her upload videos of her drumming to YouTube. The rest is history. Her talent drew lots of attention, and she has appeared in adverts for John Lewis, played with Lenny Kravitz and was a guest on Ellen.
All of that is pretty impressive for someone who wasn’t even a teenager yet. However, Nandi wasn’t done yet! She challenged Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer to a drum battle. She posted the simple message “Dave Grohl, I challenge you to a drum-off” on her social media pages. Dave accepted, and an epic battle ensued.
They played Everlong, and afterwards, Dave graciously admitted Nandi won, calling her “number one super girl” and “the best drummer in the world”. He hinted at a special event for round two, and it certainly was! He invited her to perform the song live on stage with the Foo Fighters in Los Angeles.
Playing with a huge band like the Foo Fighters in front of a massive crowd would be daunting for most people, but Nandi handled it like a pro. She killed it and was obviously loving every single second in the spotlight. It must be incredible to love what you do and be so exceptionally good at it. Nandi shared her amazing performance on social media and said it was “epic and the best night ever.” Check it out now.
If you want to see more from Nandi, you can subscribe to her YouTube channel or follow her on Facebook or follow her on Instagram.