Nandi Bushell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nandi Bushell
Nandi Bushell in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Nandi Lily Bushell
Born	(2010-04-28) 28 April 2010 (age 15) Durban, South Africa
Origin	Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Genres	Rock
Instruments	Drums guitar bass guitar piano saxophone vocals
Years active	2018–present
YouTube information
Subscribers	401 thousand (16 February 2023)
Total views	67.4 million (16 February 2023)

Nandi Lily Bushell (born 28 April 2010) is a super talented musician, singer, and songwriter. She was born in South Africa and now lives in the UK. Nandi became famous for her amazing drumming skills. She posted videos of herself playing rock songs on YouTube and Instagram.

In 2020, Nandi had an awesome drum battle online with Dave Grohl, a famous musician from the band Foo Fighters. This battle was watched by millions around the world! By the time she was ten, many famous musicians noticed her videos. These included Dave Grohl, Lenny Kravitz, and Questlove. Her talent led to many appearances on TV shows.

Nandi was the youngest artist ever to be on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine. She is also the first musician-in-residence for Cartoon Network. She has performed with Lenny Kravitz and even played drums with the Foo Fighters at a concert. Nandi was also a special guest at the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II in London.

Nandi started writing her own music when she was ten. She plays all the instruments in her songs. Three of her songs were released as singles before her first EP (a mini-album) called Into the Abyss. The first song, "The Shadows," came out in September 2022.

Early Life and Musical Start

Nandi Bushell was born in Durban, South Africa. Her mom is from South Africa, and her dad is British. When Nandi was two, her family moved to Ipswich, United Kingdom.

Her parents love music a lot. When Nandi was about five, her dad showed her a video of The Beatles' song "Hey Jude." Nandi was amazed by Ringo Starr playing the drums. She really wanted to try it herself!

Her parents bought her first drum kit as a reward for doing well in school. Her dad noticed she was great at keeping a beat when they played music together. Nandi started drum lessons at age six with Ashley Howard. With her dad's help, she began posting videos of herself playing different songs. One video showed seven-year-old Nandi drumming to "Toxicity" by System of a Down. She also played with adult musicians at local jam sessions in Ipswich.

Nandi's Music Journey

Becoming a Viral Sensation

Nandi's videos on social media quickly caught the eye of famous musicians. Many of them sent her gifts! After Questlove saw one of her Instagram videos, he sent her a special drum kit made just for kids. Her cover of "Use Me" got the attention of Anderson .Paak.

In June 2019, Lenny Kravitz invited Nandi to meet him and play with him during a sound check at The O2 Arena. Later, Kravitz and his drummer, Nate Smith, sent Nandi her own custom drum kit. In July 2019, she met Questlove at a music festival. After Muse's Matt Bellamy saw her play many instruments in her cover of "Plug In Baby," he gave her one of his special guitars.

The Epic Drum Battle with Dave Grohl

Nandi's drum cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" became super popular in November 2019. It got over 10 million views on Twitter in just one week! Dave Grohl, who was the drummer on Nirvana's album Nevermind, heard about the video. He was amazed by Nandi's "joy and energy."

In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nandi posted a video. She played "Everlong" by Foo Fighters, another one of Grohl's bands. She then challenged him to a drum-off, saying he was her favorite drummer! Grohl thought it was "adorable." But his friends kept telling him he had to respond.

So, Grohl accepted the challenge! He played drums to "Dead End Friends" by his band Them Crooked Vultures. Nandi then posted a video of herself drumming to the same song. Grohl admitted that she won! He even wrote and performed a song just for Nandi. She then wrote and recorded a song dedicated to him. This online drum battle was a huge hit worldwide. It helped Nandi gain millions of followers on social media.

Grohl later said their drum battle was why he decided to release the Foo Fighters' album Medicine at Midnight in February 2021. He hoped their music would make people feel as much joy as his drum battle with Nandi.

Playing with Foo Fighters

In November 2020, Dave Grohl invited Nandi to play with him and Foo Fighters on stage when they could tour again. They finally met in person on August 26, 2021, at Kia Forum in California. Grohl introduced Nandi as his "arch nemesis" on drums. She then played "Everlong" with the band to close the sold-out show!

People were amazed by her performance. One reviewer said Nandi "sounded like she'd been touring with Foos for the past 26 years." Another called it "epic." Even though she had just met them, Nandi played like a true pro.

Nandi's amazing performance made "Everlong" popular again on music charts. The song, first released in 1997, appeared on several Billboard rock charts.

Nandi's Own Music and Performances

Nandi Bushell (right) joins Dave Grohl (left) and Foo Fighters for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in September 2022

In October 2021, Nandi and Roman Morello wrote a song called "The Children Will Rise Up." It was a warning about climate change. The music video featured Roman's dad, Tom Morello, along with Jack Black and Greta Thunberg.

Nandi plays many instruments, not just drums! She plays lead guitar, bass guitar, and piano. In her videos, she often plays all the parts of rock songs herself. She also plays the saxophone, like in her covers of songs by Bill Withers and John Coltrane.

Nandi has written and recorded her own EP, Into the Abyss. She plays every instrument on it. The first song from the EP, "The Shadows," came out on September 30, 2022. Nandi said she wrote this "quite dark" song to help her dad and others dealing with sadness. Critics called the song "incredibly moving and mature."

In 2022, Nandi performed live at the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II in June. She was part of both the Platinum Party at the Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. In September, Nandi was invited to join Foo Fighters on stage for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium. She played "Learn to Fly" using drumsticks that Taylor Hawkins had given her the year before. Nandi said it was "epic and bittersweet" to play Wembley under such sad circumstances.

Nandi released another original song, "Sweet Nightmares," in October 2023. She said the song reminded her of Slipknot, her favorite band. The song even features some backing vocals from actor Josh Brolin.

Nandi on Television and Film

Advertisements

Nandi Bushell and Omar Abidi (left to right) perform in "The Book of Dreams" advert for Argos (Christmas 2019)

In 2018, Nandi was one of four young musicians who recorded "Bohemian Rhapsody" for a John Lewis & Partners advertisement. She had to audition three times for the role!

In November 2019, Nandi played a young girl drumming to "Don't You (Forget About Me)" in a Christmas advertisement for Argos. She acted alongside drummer Omar Abidi, who played her dad. The people making the ad said casting Nandi was "really stressful" until they saw her. They said Nandi was the "obvious choice" out of over 100 children because she was "upbeat, fun, and celebrated the excitement of dream fulfillment."

Argos featured Nandi again in their 2020 campaign, "Drum From Home." These ads encouraged people to make their own drum kits during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Other TV Appearances

In December 2019, Nandi made her first trip to the United States. She was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Nandi told Ellen she wanted to learn bass guitar, and Ellen surprised her with one as a gift!

When she was nine, Nandi appeared on the Scandinavian chat show Skavlan in 2020. During the interview, singer Dua Lipa invited Nandi to go on tour with her.

Nandi and her brother Thomas appeared as cartoon versions of themselves in an episode of Teen Titans Go! called "Jump City Rock." It aired on September 12, 2022.

Nandi plays a character named Emerald in the third season of Andy and the Band on CBeebies. She is the goddaughter of the Godfather of Rock, Brian May. Emerald helps the band save Planet Rock by pretending to be their new manager.

Film Roles

Director Kay Cannon chose Nandi to play a drummer girl in the 2021 American film Cinderella. Nandi has become friends with Kay Cannon and the movie's star, Camila Cabello.

Awards and Recognition

Cartoon Network made Nandi their first official musician-in-residence in February 2021. She was on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine in June 2021, becoming the youngest cover artist ever. Hit Like a Girl also named Nandi one of its ambassador heroes for 2021.

In February 2022, Drumeo gave Nandi their first Tony Williams award. They praised her "infectious energy and passion" that inspires people to love drumming and music. Nandi won the award after an online poll.

On October 7, 2022, Nandi was given the Gold badge on the show Blue Peter. This is the highest honor the show gives. She received it for her musical achievements and for "raising awareness about inequality." Famous past winners include Ed Sheeran and Queen Elizabeth II.

Readers of MusicRadar voted Nandi #2 in December 2022 for their list of "best online drum personalities." This was her third year in that spot!

Nandi is also featured in the book Rebel Girls Rock. This book is part of the Rebel Girls series and tells the stories of 24 amazing women musicians. It was released around International Women's Day 2023.

Personal Life and Helping Others

Nandi lives in Ipswich with her parents and younger brother Thomas. She has helped with many local and international causes. For example, she supports the annual fireworks display at Christchurch Park, which raises money for groups like Scouting.

In October 2021, Nandi was one of many drummers invited by Ringo Starr to play a cover of The Beatles' "Come Together" for the WhyHunger project. Her climate song "The Children Will Rise Up!" was praised by Lenny Kravitz and Simon Pegg. Even Barack Obama praised their "compelling message" from the COP26 summit.

Also in October, Nandi took part in "Redraw Your World" for Cartoon Network. She also made a video for their "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" campaign. She plays "live drums" in the Netflix COVID-19 documentary Convergence: Courage in a Crisis.

Discography

Singles

• "Rock and Grohl – The EPIC Battle" (2020)
• "Gods and Unicorns" (2020)
• "The Children Will Rise Up!" (2021)
• "The Shadows" (2022)
• "Sweet Nightmares" (2023)

Albums

• Into the Abyss (Coming Soon!)

Soundtracks

• Convergence (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2021; featured performer on "I Am Here and I Am Breathing")

Filmography

Images for kids

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  Nandi Bushell in 2022

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  Nandi Bushell (right) joins Dave Grohl (left) and Foo Fighters for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in September 2022

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  Nandi Bushell and Omar Abidi (left to right) perform in "The Book of Dreams" advert for Argos (Christmas 2019)