Korn have temporarily enlisted a 12-year-old as their new bassist

By the age of 12, most kids have at least tried their hand as something musical. Whether it was moping your way to weekly acoustic guitar lessons on mum’s orders, thrashing along (badly, but always passionately) to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ on the second-hand drum kit your grandparents bought you for Christmas, or penning a remarkably earnest love song about that girl you sheepishly kissed on the cheek at break time to perform at the school talent show – fresh-faced, 12-year-old you had probably had a good go at music. 

Tye Trujillo is a 12-year-old who has just been called up to fill in for Korn’s absent bassist, Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, on the band’s South American tour. Before you ask, yes, we are talking about multiple Grammy award-winning Korn. 35-odd million records sold worldwide Korn. At least one person in your class had a too-big hoodie with their logo on it. They were on that Kerrang! compilation album that you couldn’t headbang to because the audio on your portable CD player would jump at the slightest movement. That Korn. 

This Korn:

The Nu-Metal icons made the surprise announcement on their Facebook page, where they said they were excited to have the youngster for a few gigs before they return to the States next month. Tye happens to the son of Robert Trujillo, the bass player for Metallica, so there’s no doubt he’s learning his trade from the best. 

He does have another band, The Helmets, who have already landed a TV appearance. Watch below (Tye’s the long(est)-haired guy on the right). 

12-years-old. Twelve.