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The latest child prodigy to wow America’s Got Talent has continued his hot streak with a crowd-pleasing cover of a Joan Jett classic.
Stepping into the quarter-final stage, 10-year-old Bay Melnick Virgolino delivered his take on I Love Rock and Roll with oodles of shred during a performance brimming with confidence.
With the kind of name destined to be up in lights, Virgolino first picked up an electric guitar aged four. Six years later, he stunned AGT judges during his audition by nailing a Lenny Kravitz cover on a PRS Guitar nearly as tall as him.
Here, he’s stayed faithful to PRS, but has swapped his gold SE DGT for an S2 22 Standard, complete with chrome 58/15 humbuckers.
He wastes no time in encouraging the crowd to clap along, rifling through the riff and ripping into his first guitar solo of the spot, courtesy of some tasty pentatonic licks.
After some time behind the mic, he delivers a second, even more impressive solo right in front of the judges. It includes some speedy playing, slick descending runs, and ends in an explosion of confetti.
“You’re so young, but you came out with this real attitude and stage presence,” judge Simon Cowell gushed. “You absolutely nailed that.”
Fellow judge Mel B was a tad harsh on his vocals, but admitted, “Your guitar playing was on point.”
Virgolino also earned the praises of former Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who has been coaching, mentoring, and supporting the young shredder on his journey to guitar stardom.
“So proud of [Bay Melnick Virgolino] for that amazing performance at America’s Got Talent!” he wrote on Instagram. “Loving being part of his journey as his coach and mentor.”
AGT is becoming a melting pot of young guitar stars, with the likes of percussive-acoustic maverick Marcin and fellow pre-teen starlet Maya Neelakantan making their names on the show.
Neelakantan has since jammed with Testament on stage and hung out with Jason Becker among other delights. Virgolino may soon find himself following in her footsteps.
