Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs at Suncorp Stadium

Music

Dave Grohl Reflects on Losing a Drum Battle to 10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell

Dave Grohl performed with Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and, recently, a 10-year-old drummer named Nandi Bushell.

by Julia Dzurillay

Published on July 4, 2022

2 min read

Dave Grohl appeared in a drum battle alongside 10-year-old Nandi Bushell

Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs at Suncorp Stadium | Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Some know him as the drummer for the Foo Fighters, appearing on songs like “Everlong,” “Best of You,” “All My Life,” and “Learn to Fly.” Grohl continues to make music, even appearing in videos with other musicians.

In fact, one of Grohl’s “biggest revelations” of 2021 was when he competed in a drum battle with a 10-year-old the previous year — and lost.

“Nirvana’s producer, Butch Vig, actually introduced me to Nandi online,” Grohl said during an interview with NPR, referring to a video of the child playing Nirvana’s “In Bloom.” “Her energy was just — she was like a supernova! She attacked her drums and would scream as she did drum rolls! It blew my mind.”

The artist explained that months later, someone sent a link that she was challenging him to a drum battle. His initial reaction, as stated during the same interview, was that this young musician was “adorable.” He later changed his mind.

“After 57 texts from my closest friends saying, ‘Dude, you have to respond. Like, you have to respond to this girl,’” he added. “So, I eventually — I’ll come back with something she can play as well. Little did I realize that she just is so far outside of my abilities. I mean, this kid can really play, you know?”

Dave Grohl lost the drum battle to Nandi Bushell — ‘I cannot keep up with this person’

This “epic” drum battle was caught on film. The song chosen was “Dead End Friends” by Them Crooked Vultures. YouTube video earned over 4 million views and thousands of likes.

Complete with facial expressions from Nandi Bushell, Grohl backed down as the loser of the drum battle. He later explained that he really lost fair and square — and he wasn’t even mad at the outcome.

“I cannot keep up with this person,” the drummer said. “But the thing that I realized in that exchange: it was bringing people happiness. And in a time [when] people desperately need something to lift their day, they could go to their phone and have four minutes of happiness. That, to me, its currency was huge.”