Meet the 10-Year-Old Music Prodigy Who's Already Impressed Questlove, Zedd, and Mark Ronson

He could name the note just by listening to the buzzing of his mom's electric toothbrush, and as a toddler, he wouldn't get out of the car until “Stairway to Heaven” ended. Now, the young musician can play several instruments and create original music, while still finding time for lemonade stands.

At just four years old, Miles Bonham had taught himself to play several musical instruments. Today, the 10-year-old has managed to catch the attention of some notable names in the music industry while juggling life as a regular kid.

“I like making music, but I also like doing other stuff like doing lemonade stands with my friends and just hanging out,” Miles told People in an exclusive interview this month. He also likes coding video games and enjoys reading, he said.

Miles’ passion for music began when he was a toddler, long before he picked up his first instrument. His parents recalled him being a fan of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” refusing to get out of the car unless he finished the entire song. “We could not get out of the car at seven minutes and 55 seconds,” his mom recalled. “It had to be the full eight minutes.”

Miles was just 4 when his parents bought him a used student guitar. They would soon realize that he could teach himself to play it by ear. “I would wake up, and he would be playing things,” his dad said. “I’m like, ‘How do you know how to do this?’” His mom was also amazed that he could already play barre chords at that age.

But that’s not all. Miles had perfect pitch, his parents learned, which meant he could identify a musical note without a reference tone. His mom shared, “He used to say things to me like, ‘Mommy, your toothbrush is buzzing in a C half sharp.’”

In time, Miles had taught himself to play several more instruments, including the piano, bass, drums, and ukulele. He now also plays the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, and violin.

His parents had also enrolled him in a music school, which initially turned him down because he was too young. But after his mom sent videos of him playing, the school changed its mind. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” his mom recalled the school’s representative saying.

Apart from playing instruments, Miles has produced original multitrack music and remixes. He would reimagine songs and keep only the vocals. “I sit at the computer, just messing around on my keyboard, just trying to figure out the chords,” he explained. “And then whenever I find something... I just start building off of it.”

Miles admits he’s a perfectionist, telling PBS NewsHour in 2024, “I always listen, like, a lot of times before I say it's done.” He calls his best songs bangers.

Miles’ passion and talent for music have drawn admiration from some famous names in the music industry. “When I was 5, I surprised Mark Ronson on Pharrell [Williams’] podcast,” he said. “After that, I hung out with Mark Ronson at a studio, which was super cool.”

Apart from Ronson, Miles has met one of his favorite artists, Zedd, as well as Remi Wolf and Skrillex. According to PBS, he also received a special gift from Questlove — a drum set.

On Instagram, Miles, who goes by the handle “Miles Music Kid,” has quite the following, though he doesn’t use it himself. “We don’t think it’s healthy for kids to go on social media while their brains are developing,” his mom told PBS.

Despite being a musical prodigy, his parents want him to be a normal kid, without the pressure of deadlines or having to finish projects. “He’s a kid, and he wants to live a kid life, so we very much encourage him to live his kid life, ride his bike around with his friends, do the lemonade stands,” his dad said.

His friends have also treated him like a regular kid, while his sister Charlie would join him for some fun studio time. And for his mom, that balance is key, both for Miles and for his music. “If he can’t be a kid, what is he going to say to the world?” she said.