Drumming prodigy Jagger Alexander-Erber will be showing off his skills at Waves on Saturday, writes ALICE MATTHEWS.
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He might have been pulled up on stage by Limp Bizkit and met the Rolling Stones, but Jagger Alexander-Erber is still a kid who hates doing maths and loves his Lego.
Behind a drum kit, he also happens to be the epitome of a child prodigy.
In true virtuoso style, Jagger's talents and philosophies are well ahead of his time.
"Rock'n'roll isn't about going to a record shop, getting the T-shirt and saying you like the band. That's posing," the 11-year-old says.
"You have to actually listen to it and have emotions with the songs.
"I've cried before, just listening," he says.
With an admirable balance of confidence and humility, it seems fame was always on the cards for Jagger, quite literally.
"About seven years ago, I went to a French woman who read my tarot cards," says Jagger's father entrepreneur Mark Alexander-Erber. "She looked at a picture of Jagger before he'd even picked up a stick and said 'He's going to be huge in the entertainment industry'."
When Mr Alexander-Erber saw a five-year-old Jagger playing with chopsticks at a Chinese restaurant and drum with incredible rhythm, the stars began to align.
After a few lessons and an eBay drum kit, there was no way this kid was going to be kept a secret.
"Do you want to be the best drummer in the world in the basement?" his dad asked him one day. "Or do you want to be the best drummer in the world and let everyone see you?"
"Let's do it," Jagger replied.
After astounding audiences and judges on Australia's Got Talent in 2012, Jagger has since spent time at Abbey Studios in London and attracted more than 100 million hits on YouTube. He has won endorsements from Los Angeles DW Drums and is an ambassador for Monster headphones in Australia and the US.
After a whirl of globetrotting, Jagger lands in Wollongong this Saturday. He will be rocking out in The Who tribute band at Waves along with Simon Meli (The Voice), Ciaran Gribbin (INXS) and Steve Balbi (Noiseworks).
"Steve Balbi is an amazing person. When Dad's not around, Steve is like my music dad," Jagger says.
The young drummer is also a huge fan of The Who.
"My drum teacher, Luke Davison, [The Preatures] first showed me The Who and Keith Moon. I've been in love with them ever since," he says.
Mr Alexander-Erber described Jagger's centrepiece performance of Won't Get Fooled Again as "just wild".
But Jagger is not one to try to steal the limelight. "Put on a show, but play for the band," he says.
Jagger is now working with Steve Balbi and Mark Ward in their new band, Moon, which will tour Europe later this year.