Over the past few years, musical prodigy Nandi Bushell has truly captivated music fans with her viral rock covers of artists such as Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance and Nirvana among others. Now, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has praised Bushell and her hard work with the ultimate surprise.
This week, Bushell posted a video revealing that Bellamy has gifted her one of his signature Manson guitars. The Muse vocalist also sent Bushell a personal note praising her covers.
Read more: Nandi Bushell takes on this My Chemical Romance hit in new cover—watch
In recent months, 10-year-old Bushell has really shown her appreciation for Muse’s music. Back in July 2020, she posted an iconic drum cover of “Hysteria” which appears on Muse’s 2003 album Absolution. As it turns out, Muse actually saw this cover and gave Bushell a special shout-out on Twitter back in December.
“Absolutely killed it again @Nandi_Bushell,” the tweet says. “So much talent.”
Absolutely killed it again @Nandi_Bushell
So much talent 🔥 https://t.co/PsWhu5NYsq— muse (@muse) December 8, 2020
Earlier this month, she also performed the challenging drum, bass, guitar and vocal parts from the 2001 hit “Plug In Baby.” In the video’s caption, Bushell noted that this particular cover was one of the most difficult for her yet.
“This was one of my most challenging covers so far,” Bushell says on YouTube. “The guitar and bass are so fast I really had to practice a lot to get my playing up to speed. Everything you hear is me. No backing tracks. I recorded each track using Logic Pro.”
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Now, Bellamy has generously responded to Bushell’s latest Muse cover by gifting her one of his signature Manson MBM‑1 guitars. Along with the matte black electric guitar, Bellamy also left a personal note for Bushell.
“Hi Nandi, love the new covers,” he says in the note to Bushell. “Thought you might like to perform some on my signature model. Best wishes from Matt and the guitar team.”
In the unboxing video, Bushell calls the instrument “epic” before breaking out into various dance moves to convey her excitement. As well, she mentions in the video’s caption that she would love to jam with Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard in the future.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you Matt for giving me your signature guitar,” Bushell says in the description. “I love Muse and hope to jam with you, Dom and Chris one day, too.”
More on Nandi Bushell
Bushell’s epic covers have caught the attention of many rock musicians over the past few years. In June 2020, Bushell showed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement with an intense multi-instrumental cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Guerilla Radio.”
Soon after Bushell shared the post, RATM guitarist Tom Morello showed his support for the performance before sending her a special surprise. Not only did Morello gift Bushell one of his signature “Soul Power” Fender Stratocasters, but he also sent her a powerful message of encouragement.
“I’d like you to have this guitar as a gift from me to you because you rock so great,” Morello says in a video message. “To see someone rocking so great who is so young, it really gives me hope for the future. I didn’t start playing guitar until I was 17 years old, so you are way, super far ahead of me, and I look forward to hearing a lot more of your music in the future. You’ve got a lot of soul and here’s a little ‘Soul Power’ to go with it. Keep it up!”
Read more: Watch this grandma’s Hayley Williams-approved Paramore drum cover
More recently, in December, Lenny Kravitz and Nate Smith presented Bushell with a custom set of Ludwig Legacy Mahogany drums. Bushell previously played these drums when she jammed with Kravitz at London’s O2 Arena back in 2019.
Along with receiving gifts, Bushell has also caught the attention of twenty one pilots drummer Josh Dun, blink-182 and even Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea among others. Back in April 2020, Dun gave a special nod to Bushell after she released an epic drum cover of “Heathens.”
Then, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was among the familiar faces who appeared in blink-182’s “Happy Days” video. The entire visual was shot in quarantine and features the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Steve-O, the Used frontman Bert McCracken and Bella Thorne.
What are your reactions to Matt Bellamy gifting Nandi Bushell one of his signature guitars? Let us know in the comments below.