For a 13-year-old who has been playing the guitar for only four years, Justin Weed shreds like a pro.
Earlier in April, the middle schooler came out on top in the Dallas International Guitar Festival’s contest for best guitarists under the age of 20. According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, he won 15 hours of recording time in a Dallas school's studio and was also given an automatic spot in next year's festival.
In order to qualify for the contest, Justin had to submit a video entry. Watch Justin's incredible audition in the video below. He played an original solo that he titled "Hendrixian Blues," after his idol Jimi Hendrix.
“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just this feeling," Justin told CBS 11 News. "It’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever felt. You feel the music. You feel like you’re a part of it. It’s like being on top of the world. That’s what music is for me, basically."
Justin isn't the only amazing teen to seriously wow us with his musical skills this year. Seventeen-year-old cancer patient Zach Sobiech wrote a song for his friends and family, "Clouds," that became a huge Internet success with more than two million views on YouTube.
“['Clouds'] was originally written for just my family and others who I love, but it’s meant to raise awareness for childhood cancer because I often think it gets forgotten about," Zach said in an interview with Broadcast Music, Inc.
Another teen guitarist, 15-year-old Kate Diaz, used her talents for good back in December. Kate wrote a song called "Christmas Smiles" and donated all of her earnings from the acoustic ballad -- over $2,000 -- to a cancer research charity called CureSearch.
"I came up with the idea to use music to raise awareness and raise funds for children's cancer research," Kate said.
Do Justin, Zach and Kate inspire you? Who are your favorite up-and-coming teen musicians? Sound off in the comments or tweet @HuffPostTeen.
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