“Drew (Barrymore) can you come here and help me for a minute,” asked 12-year-old Lydian during the auditions of CBS network’s talent show – The World’s Best. Lydian requested the actress Drew Barrymore, to set metronome at 208 bpm. “That’s the speed of my heartbeat right now,” exclaimed Drew. Soon, Lydian played ‘Flight of Bumble Bee’ at an awe-inspiring speed, which is a remarkable talent for a kid of his age.
Lydian at the audition of The World’s Best, where he played ‘The Flight of Bumble Bee’, at 208 bpm on the metronome.
Needless to say! All three judges – the Emmy Award winner RuPaul Charles, & five-times Grammy Award winner Faith Hill, and Drew Barrymore – were immediately awestruck.
‘The World’s Best’ is a first-of-its-kind global talent competition, where the hopefuls can present their talent from every imaginable genre and every corner of the planet. Contestants must impress three American judges before facing the ‘wall of the world’ — 50 of the world’s most accomplished experts from every field of entertainment — with their talents. In the end, one act will be crowned ‘The World’s Best.’
A child prodigy of sorts, Chennai based Lydian Nadhaswaram is now one of the 8 semi-finals. As Lydian spelt his magic with his amazing talent, his father, Varshan Satish, who is also a music composer, was beaming with pride.
I was immediately fascinated by this little wonder. As I did my research, I found that he is indeed one of the youngest pianists to play at such lightning speed. Lydian can also play two different tunes, at two different speeds, on two different pianos at the same time. Currently on his sixth trip to the US, Lydian surprised everyone on ‘The Ellen Show’ when he played Mozart and that too blindfolded.
Back at home, Lydian’s fan club includes Academy Award winner music composer and singer AR Rahman.
While commenting on Lydian’s performance during quarterfinals, Drew said, that Lydian’s talent is unique, but he is also an inspiration for numerous kids of his age. When I spoke to his father, he echoed similar emotions, “we are from a very humble background. I cannot afford a publicist or an agent for him. But I am aware of my son’s passion, hence I want to make every possible effort to get him the recognition he deserves.” Varshan said he was trying for Lydian’s appearance on ‘The Ellen Show’ since last 7 years. “Lydian’s dream is to play on the Moon with his piano, I am not sure if that will happen ever. As a father, I want to ensure that he gets maximum exposure. In India, there is not that much scope for a pianist. Hence, I am keen that he performs at various platforms across the world.”
I asked Varshan, how did he spot Lydian’s talent? “Lydian literally started when he was just 2 years old. By the time he turned 4, Lydian evinced an amazing sense of rhythm. He could play some of the toughest musical pieces on drums. At the age of 9, he fell in love with Piano. Within three months he started playing musical pieces by Mozart and Debussy, and that too without any formal training.” Born in a family where music is no less than a religion, Lydian practices for 5 to 6 hours every day. “Both my kids are doing home-schooling,” said Varshan, who happens to be Lydian’s mentor and friend too. His sister Amrithavarshini, is also a musician and plays multiple instruments. Talking about Lydian, she said, “one day my dad showed him an online video of a kid playing piano. Lydian, got so inspired by seeing that performance that within a few days he started playing on his own by finding notes from the internet.”It was an amazing chat I had with Lydian’s dad and his sister. We wish Lydian, wins the title of ‘The World’s Best’, and we break the news here @thepeoplebazaar.com😉
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpoeBBJnPtgAqC_-pnY_K4w
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