Nene Royal has a name, and a voice, that you just might hear again.
Hailing the Phuket, Thailand, the teenager stepped onto the America’s Got Talent stage, for the latest round of Auditions, airing Tuesday night (July 7). And she immediately made everyone in the place stand up and take notice.
Royal, like so many AGT hopefuls, the performance was the first stride in a lifelong dream. Picking up the guitar at age seven, she has always dreamed of being a “superstar on tour,” she told the judges at the top. Well, she came to the dream factory.
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Performing a day prior to her 16th birthday, Royal shook off any lingering nerves, hoisted an electric guitar, cranked up her amp and tore through a cover of The Cranberries mid-‘90s protest anthem “Zombie,” a song that logged six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs chart.
Make no mistake. The kid can rock.
With her proud dad watching on, Royal had the room in raptures, jaws on the floor. “That was spectacular. You have a very big chance to do really good in this competition,” enthused Sofía Vergara. “I loved it.”
Howie Mandel got a much-appreciated wake up. “You are such a surprise (with your) energy and the rock ‘n’ roll. You are a rock star, young lady, you really are,” he enthused.
Mel B praised the youngster’s vocal control. And she can “kill it” on the guitar. “You’re like a match made in heaven. You’re brilliant.”
Simon Cowell, as he so often does, spoke last. “The tone of your voice,” he remarked, “it was like really authentic and even the fact it was all a bit messy actually made, for me, the audition really good.”
Each judge voted, each gave a resounding yes. And Royal continues on her dream run in this 21th season of NBC’s AGT. Watch below.
