When Nene Royal visited Singapore to open for Avenged Sevenfold, she was about to fulfil a long-held dream. Bandwagon caught up with the Thai guitarist and singer while she was in town, ahead of the concert, as she considered the thousands of people she would soon be playing for.
“I’m so excited because my dream was to open for Avenged Sevenfold,” she told us. “And I’m so excited to perform in front of, how many, 9,000 or 10,000 people? Yeah!”
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The appearance at Singapore Indoor Stadium on 13 October came just weeks after the 16-year-old became the first Thai winner of America’s Got Talent. Across the competition’s 21st season, she brought guitar-led interpretations of The Cranberries, Muse, Soundgarden and The White Stripes to an international audience. Her performance of ‘Black Hole Sun’ earned Mel B’s Live Golden Buzzer; by the finale, she was sharing guitar and vocal duties with Linkin Park on ‘The Emptiness Machine’.
The Singapore show gave her another encounter with her heroes. After her opening set, Nene joined Avenged Sevenfold for ‘Bat Country’ and ‘Unholy Confessions’. In our conversation before the performance, she also spoke about the ambitions she hoped to realise next: writing her own songs, touring the world and giving audiences a fuller sense of the musician behind the television victory.
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“I don’t want people to remember me only as the girl who won America’s Got Talent,” she says.
Born Rattikarn Amloy in Phuket, Nene began playing guitar at seven, learning largely by ear through online videos. Local market performances gave her opportunities to develop in front of an audience, including at Phuket’s Naka Weekend Market with youth band OZONE. Before AGT, she had also appeared on Thai television programme Super 10 and placed first runner-up in the Overdrive Guitar Contest.
Asked about learning by ear, she described a process built around listening closely enough to catch what needs fixing. Her love of rock arrived around eight or nine, as she began playing electric guitar. Listening and repetition have remained central to her practice.
“When I notice something sounds wrong, like one or two notes, I do it again. I have to keep repeating it,” she explains.
There is another attentive listener at home. “My dad is also very, very good at hearing mistakes,” she says, before imitating his instruction: “‘Hey, do it again!’”
That willingness to repeat a passage offers a glimpse of the work behind performances that can look instinctive. Onstage, however, Nene describes a more immediate relationship with the instrument.
“When I have a guitar, I feel more confident,” she says. “And my stage presence just comes naturally. I just enjoy the music. I enjoy performing.”
Her choice of songs gives the audience a way into that enjoyment. ‘Zombie’ and ‘Seven Nation Army’ helped define her AGT run, and in our conversation, she talked about the different responses those familiar songs invite. With ‘Zombie’, recognition becomes participation: audiences know the chorus and sing along.
‘Seven Nation Army’ offers her room to surprise them. In explaining her arrangement, she focused on the space she found for additional guitar work and changes to the vocal line.
“So I put my own spin on it, because I love playing guitar riffs, and changed some vocal melodies,” she says. “So yeah, that’s the surprise!”
It is a useful glimpse into how she approaches a cover: thinking about what listeners already know, then deciding where her own ideas can enter. Those choices have helped introduce her to an enormous audience. Original music will give her a different opportunity to define herself.
She has already shared the instrumental ‘Real Verse’, while her official website lists a debut EP in development. She did not offer a release schedule during our conversation, but her intention was clear: “My plan is to make my own songs.”
Nor does moving forward mean distancing herself from the competition. When asked whether there was anything about being “Nene Royal, the AGT winner” she wanted to leave behind, she was unequivocal.
“I don’t want to leave anything behind because AGT is such a special part of my life,” she says. “I’ll always be grateful for that experience.”
She wants that achievement to remain part of a story she is still writing. “I want everyone to know that I won America’s Got Talent, but that I also want to be a rock star, writing my own songs.”
Before taking the stage in Singapore, she had a clear idea of what she hoped the audience would take away. Her answer returned to the ambition that ran throughout our conversation.
“I want everyone to remember me for who I am. I’m from Thailand, and I want to be a rock star touring all around the world,” she says. “I just want everyone to enjoy my performances.”
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