Rock mourns the loss of Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters 1:28
(CNN) — On Tuesday, a 9-year-old girl set up her drum kit outside the Foo Fighters’ hotel in Paraguay hoping to impress the band. Surrounded by other cheering fans, her skills soon caught the attention of Taylor Hawkins, who came to see the young drummer.
Emma Sofia was the lucky follower who had the opportunity to meet Hawkins just three days before his death.
She’s been playing drums for about two years, her father Julio Peralta told CNN on Saturday. “He was inspired to play the drums by his uncle, who is a drummer and a huge Foo Fighters fan,” Peralta said.
On March 22, Emma and her parents had tickets to Festival Asunciónico, a music festival in Asunción, Paraguay. Artists and bands like Foo Fighters, Machine Gun Kelly and Miley Cyrus were ready to perform.
The festival was canceled due to severe weather, but that didn’t stop Emma from catching the eye of the Foo Fighters.
A friend told the family where the band was staying, so they grabbed Emma’s drum kit and headed to the hotel, Peralta said. When they arrived, fans were already lining up outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the band.
Emma set up her gear and played for about 30 minutes, her father said, playing songs from Foo Fighters and Nirvana while the crowd cheered her on.
Emma Sofia met Taylor Hawkins on March 22, just days before her death.
Thanks to the impressive percussion and enthusiastic fans, Hawkins heard the commotion and went downstairs to meet the young drummer. He first addressed the crowd and apologized for canceling the festival, Peralta said, and then sought out Emma.
Supporters pulled them out of the crowd and crossed the barrier to meet Hawkins for a photo together.
Emma was shocked and speechless, said her father. “She said that day was going to be the worst day of her life and suddenly it became the best day of her life,” Peralta added.
Emma was playing at a local restaurant on Friday night when news of Hawkins’ death broke.
Her parents told her the next day that he had died and she, like many other fans of the band, was very upset.
In a post on Emma’s Instagram, the family wrote: “We will remember him for his charisma and the beautiful gesture he had with Emma. Taylor gave us something to believe in. He was, is and always will be an inspiration.”