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Aidan Jones

A twist of fate put a guitar in Nene Royal’s hands. Aged seven, she wanted to join the computer science club at her school in Phuket, Thailand, but it was already full.
“The only place left was in the music club, and the teacher handed me a guitar,” she told This Week in Asia. “The moment I started playing, something clicked.”
Now just 16, the self-taught rocker has a shot at global stardom on the world’s most watched talent show, America’s Got Talent.
“I learned by watching YouTube videos, studying musicians and performers I admired and practising for hours every day,” said Nene, whose real name is Rattikarn Amloy, in an email.
I hope my journey can show other young people in Thailand that it’s OK to dream big
Nene Royal
Thailand has a long affinity with rock and guitar music, although the scene is dominated by men. Nene said that was never part of her story.
“I don’t really think about what I should or shouldn’t be able to do because of my age, where I come from, or because I’m a girl,” she said. “I just focus on the music I love, working hard and becoming the best musician and performer I can be.”
Nene first broke through on the small stages of Phuket’s local markets, where the young guitar maestro honed her skills. It was there that she discovered “how much I love performing in front of people, seeing them smile, making them happy through music and feeling that connection with an audience”, she said.
From there, she went on to star in Thai talent contests and joined Phuket bands that have built a strong local following.
“The more I performed, the more I realised that being on stage and sharing music with people is what I love most,” she said.

But the biggest stage her life looms on Tuesday, US time, when Nene will perform in the live rounds of America’s Got Talent – the reality talent show created by British impresario Simon Cowell.
She reached the live rounds after storming through two audition stages with towering vocal-and-guitar performances of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” and Muse’s “Hysteria” that have racked up millions of views on YouTube.
Her first audition, screened in early July, had judges Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, Mel B and even the notoriously hard-to-please Cowell purring with praise over her powerful vocals and mastery of the electric guitar.
Her “Zombie” rendition has been watched more than 15 million times on YouTube, as audiences in a country increasingly known for its pop-culture exports, from television series to horror movies and T-pop, closely follow her journey.


With “Nene fever” gripping Thailand – including meet-and-greets with royalty and the prime minister – one of the kingdom’s largest conglomerates, CP Group, bought advertising space in New York’s Times Square, imploring people to vote for the teen star-in-the-making.
Thai fans have flooded her social media pages ahead of the America’s Got Talent knockout live rounds, vowing to vote in their droves.
“Going into the live rounds of AGT feels incredible. I hope my journey can show other young people in Thailand that it’s OK to dream big, even if you’re starting small,” she said.
“Seeing so much support from people in Thailand has made the experience even more special. I feel very proud to represent Thailand, but I also feel a responsibility to give everything I have when I step onto that stage.”


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Thai teen rocker Nene Royal talks America’s Got Talent and dreaming big

Thai teen rocker Nene Royal performs on America’s Got Talent. Photo: YouTube/AGT

Nene Royal performs on America’s Got Talent. The teen guitar prodigy is set to take part in the talent show’s live rounds on Tuesday. Photo: YouTube/AGT

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The self-taught guitar prodigy has come a long way from Phuket market performances as she prepares for her biggest stage yet


The self-taught guitar prodigy has come a long way from Phuket market performances as she prepares for her biggest stage yet.


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Thai teen rocker Nene Royal talks America’s Got Talent and dreaming big

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The self-taught guitar prodigy has come a long way from Phuket market performances as she prepares for her biggest stage yet

The self-taught guitar prodigy has come a long way from Phuket market performances as she prepares for her biggest stage yet