15-year-old Thai student Nene Royal cut a shy figure when she faced the America’s Got Talent stage and admitted she was nervous to be up there. The teen was about to tear the roof off the joint, though, with her powerful cut of The Cranberries’ “Zombie.” Nene started playing a blistering riff on her guitar and opened up with a blood-curdling scream that shocked the audience. She then showed the depth of her talent by dropping a gorgeous and delicate melodic vocal in the verse, and then things got even crazier!
The way Nene dropped a shredding guitar solo while screaming her lungs out at the closer at 2:40 was something we’ve never seen on America’s Got Talent before! Nene has played a thousand busking gigs on the streets of her native Phuket. That experience has made her an absolute rock star on stage, despite her young years. Nene’s dad fanboying out so proudly for his girl was a sweet touch. The Music Man has to say this is the kind of audition you just have to watch all over again to catch all the great moments.
Nene’s audition went live on July 8, 2026, hitting 9.2 million views in a week. This made it bigger than any other performance for the entire season, with nothing else even coming close. Viewers loved her power on stage and added comments such as “I’ve watched this 50 times today I swear. Absolutely amazing!!! She is going all the way” and “How does she do all of this at the same time? Nene is not simply a singer who plays guitar. She is a complete musician and a true rock artist. Absolutely extraordinary.”
America’s Got Talent is not the first time Nene has gone viral for her unique take on rock ‘n’ roll. At a music trade show, she performed “Zombie” in her one-girl band format. Watching Nene is really like watching a force of nature. She seems to so effortlessly control her voice and guitar, while retaining a natural X-factor on stage that draws in the crowd. Nene is certainly an extraordinary talent!
Nene teared up after her performance as the crowd gave her a huge applause. The Music Man readers probably won’t be surprised to hear that the judges gave the Thai talent rave reviews. Sofía Vergara opened the judges’ comments by saying, “Nene, that was spectacular. You have a very big chance to do really good in this competition. I loved it.” Howie spoke for everyone when he said, “You were such a surprise with the energy and the rock ‘n’ roll. You are a rock star young lady, you really are.” The judges then gave Nene four yes votes. It does seem a little puzzling that the judges didn’t give her a golden buzzer, though, given the clear brilliance of the audition.