Nene Royal is well on her way to beating the America’s Got Talent champion’s curse. Plenty of Got Talent champs have disappeared into obscurity after their finale, but it seems the 16-year-old Thai rocker has got serious staying power in the hearts of rock fans. Her October 30, 2026 Gamescon Asia opening performance went viral, with her 25-minute set with longtime bandmates Ozone hitting the spot for fans, and featuring all her viral hits.
Earlier in October, Nene made waves by joining Californian American metal hitmakers Avenged Sevenfold on stage in Singapore. So naturally she had to break out her signature Avenged Sevenfold shred “Bat Country” at Gamescon. You definitely don’t want to miss her tearing up Synyster Gates’ famous solo at 2:19. That might just be the gnarliest solo we’ve ever seen her pull – and all done live on stage with no TV production behind her. Nene’s set featured two of her America’s Got Talent bangers, Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and The Cranberries’ “Zombie”, as well as System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” and Drowning Pool’s “Bodies”.
Nene and Ozone’s chemistry stands out immediately in the performance, and that connection runs much deeper than recent television fame. Ozone is not a backing group hired to support a newly minted celebrity. Nene has played with Ozone since 2021, developing her chops on the local circuit around Phuket’s Naka Night Market. The band’s lineup includes bassist Chopper, keyboardist MK and drummer Boon. In an interview with Guitar World, she described the band as being like brothers, pointing out that she prefers the genuine spark of live group interplay over sterile recorded tracks.
The convention stage offered an unusual playground for a rising rock star. Earlier in the day, Nene played lead guitar alongside singer Cherprang Areekul for the expo’s official theme song. Her connection to the gaming world remained refreshingly grounded. Speaking onstage, she said she was not normally much of a gamer but had chosen Roblox as her favorite after her Ozone bandmates invited her to play. That lighthearted camaraderie translated directly into their tight, hard-hitting performance. America’s Got Talent shared her quarterfinal performance from the 2026 season, where she took the stage to cover Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”.
Nene’s Gamescon Asia performance drew 400,000 views within four days across multiple uploads on YouTube. Many listeners commended the crisp production, relieved to hear a clear recording that captured the instruments without burying the live energy. Viewers added comments such as “Best performance, sound and video quality all around. Nene and Ozone were incredible!” and “How is she playing that solo so cleanly with no reverb, just raw amp and guitar? Amazing.”
While her viral covers keep turning heads, Nene is already plotting a future beyond other artists’ catalogs. Some casual observers assume she is merely a cover guitarist, but she already has the original instrumental track “Real Verse” under her belt and a debut EP in the works. Coming after whirlwind guest spots alongside giants like Linkin Park and Avenged Sevenfold, this Bangkok appearance showed that Nene Royal is building a sustainable career on her own terms, backed by the friends who shared the stage with her from the beginning.