The ridiculously talented multi-instrumentalist Nandi Bushell has added a performance of Linkin Park’s “Numb” to her catalog of badass covers. The Twitter video features the 11-year-old shredding the drums with the same characteristic gusto that has made her an internet sensation.
The young drummer was highly appreciative of the band but especially gave praise to the power behind the late Chester Bennington’s voice. Bushell says she only just discovered Linkin Park and subsequently nü metal. If she’s like the rest of us, it was probably a rather transformative experience.
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I discovered @linkinpark week! So many great songs! So this is #numetal! I like the keyboards and the DJ scratching. #chesterbennington had such an incredible voice. He sang with real #power. Loving your work robbourdon @BradDelson @joehahnLP davefarrell @mikeshinoda #linkinpark pic.twitter.com/8oFqRNYagm
— Nandi Bushell (@Nandi_Bushell) June 12, 2021
“I discovered @linkinpark [last] week!,” Bushell wrote in a June 12 tweet. “So many great songs! So this is #numetal! I like the keyboards and DJ scratching. #chesterbennington had such an incredible voice. He sang with real #power.”
Like the rest of us, Linkin Park realized the video kicked ass. “Wow, this is awesome,” the band responded in a Tweet.
Wow, this is awesome 👏🔥@Nandi_Bushell https://t.co/XkChGh1B67
— LINKIN PARK (@linkinpark) June 12, 2021
The extraordinarily uplifting exchange ended with Bushell responding the way anyone would after receiving praise from one of the most formative nü-metal groups of all time.
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“Yes! Wow!” Bushell responded in a tweet. “This is amazing!!! Thank you so much! Your music is so so so good!”
Plenty of attention has been on Linkin Park lately. Bushell’s “Numb” cover was released on Record Store Day, the same day the group issued a repress of their 2004 genre-defining album Meteora. They hit another milestone in early June when “In The End” became the first song in the genre to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify, according to Chart Data.
More on Nandi Bushell and Linkin Park
The new video is one of many interactions between Bushell and iconic rock musicians. She’s received praise from artists ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea to Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg. Her drum-off with Foo Fighters’ frontman and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl was one of Google’s most searched terms in 2020 and was featured in their Year In Search 2020 video.
Many of Bushell’s videos feature the young musician playing instruments gifted to her by legendary musicians. At the end of 2020, she was given a set of Ludwig Legacy Mahogany drums by Lenny Kravitz and Nate Smith.
Bushell doesn’t just perform covers, though. She’s also been featured in blink-182’s video for “Happy Days” alongside Machine Gun Kelly, Steve-O and the Used vocalist Bert McCracken. In 2019, the then-9-year-old performed alongside Kravitz at London’s O2 Arena.
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The young artist has proven time and time again that her instrumental talent is unlimited. In addition to playing covers for a score of multi-genre artists, she also plays guitar and bass. Her multi-instrumental cover of Muse’s “Plug In Baby” earned her a signature guitar from frontman Matt Bellamy. Meanwhile, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello was so inspired by her outspoken activism for Black Lives Matter that he also gifted her a guitar.
In case her deep affinity for all forms of rock isn’t enough, Bushell also plays other genres with confidence. She released a cover of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” in May 2021. For the cover, the artist played every instrument on the song, including the saxophone. According to Bushell, she had only been playing the saxophone for three weeks at the time the video was released.
Which one of Nandi Bushells covers is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!