Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine gifted one of his guitars to a 10-year-old rocker girl
Nandi Bushell captured thousands of people’s hearts after she began sharing videos of herself rocking out as she played the drums and guitar while screaming.
Now the 10-year-old rocker is getting some love from one of her favorite musicians, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who sent her one of his guitars after watching her cover their 1999 anthem “Guerrilla Radio.”
“Hey Nandi, this is Tom Morello. I’d like you to have this guitar as a gift from me to you because you rock so great and to see someone rocking so great who is so young really gives me hope for the future,” Morello said in a video to the young rock prodigy.
“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.”
Nandi, from Ipswich, England, could be seen watching the video with her hands over her mouth in disbelief before opening the case to reveal a brand new black Fender Soul Power Stratocaster, Morello’s signature guitar.
“Wow, from the actual Tom Morello!” she cried. “Thank you so, so, so much for this beautiful guitar — I can’t wait to jam with you!”
The young multi-instrumentalist had posted a video on May 31 of her playing her own version of the rock band’s song, with signs that read “fight racism” and “Black Lives Matter” on her instruments.
John Bushell, Nandi’s father, called the situation unreal and said the family is still “in shock and overwhelmed by Morello’s generosity.
“It was an honor to receive a guitar from one of the greatest guitarists of all time,” Nandi told CNN. “I am so happy to help raise awareness for Black Lives Matter and help end racism! With love and respect, equality for all.”
Nandi, who has been vocal in her support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against racism and injustice, also received a custom purple Fender Stratocaster. For each artist who creates an Artist Check-in, Fender is making a donation to the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund.