This elementary schooler is already making headlines as the next Yoshiki.

When news of drumming sensation 17-year-old Senri Kawaguchi surfaced on the Internet a few years ago, we couldn’t believe how such a young girl could be so lightning fast with her hands.

Now, another drumming prodigy by the name of Yoyoka Soma has taken the Internet by storm with a flurry of high-velocity poundings. What’s astounding is that she’s an eight-year-old elementary student who’s already done full covers of Led Zeppelin rock songs while other children are still learning basic mathematics.

▼ Watch Yoyoka’s perfect cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times”.

▼ Her face lighting up is the best thing we’ve seen all week.

At the age of two, when children were playing with toys, Yoyoka was already rocking the drums, eventually forming a family band with her parents who were musicians too. With close to a hundred live performances at events under her belt, not to mention a third CD released in May, the future is looking bright for the little drummer.

▼ She also played Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” at seven years old.

Hoping to let the world watch her grow, her parents submitted a video of Yoyoka playing “Good Times Bad Times” to women-only percussion contest Hit Like A Girl, and though she only won a weekly award, the young drummer won over the hearts of countless viewers on Vimeo.

▼ We can’t help but smile along with her.

Her unbridled joy and solid chops caught the attention of music magazine Rolling Stone, BBC, and American entertainment magazine Billboard. So viral was her audition video that it even reached Chad Smith, the drummer of rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

▼ That’s a personal stamp of approval if we ever saw one.

Although there are already a few young drummers out there, it’s Yoyoka’s sunshine smile that makes her truly unique, as watching her happily go at it is such a joy in itself. At the rate she’s going, there’s no telling just how far she can go. Watch out Yoshiki, this little drummer’s hot on your heels!

Source: YouTube/Kaneaiyoyoka, Vimeo via Rolling Stone, BBC, Billboard, Hit Like A Girl
Images: YouTube/Kaneaiyoyoka
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