“The concept for me is surprise”: Nene Royal on AGT, Avenged Sevenfold and the 1978 Ibanez that made her a star
By the time Nene Royal closed her set at a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium with Zombie, the 9,000-strong crowd knew exactly what was expected of them. As the 16-year-old guitarist blasted out the iconic Cranberries cover she reworked in hard-rocking style to win America’s Got Talent barely a month ago, the audience happily belted back the song’s refrain in a fitting coda to a the previous half hour when she’d run through the reworked covers that had propelled her to the season 21 title.
READ MORE: “You can’t choose to be an artist. It’s something that you have to compulsively do” Tough Cookie are mastering their own vision of intimate guitar music
From Muse’s Hysteria to System Of A Down’s I-E-A-I-A-I-O, the viral social media hits came thick and fast. After her set however, she pulled off something even more impressive – joining the headline act Avenged Sevenfold on stage to blast through Bat Country and Unholy Confessions, singing and playing along with Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates and looking every bit at home.
Nene’s a natural performer, clearly, but even with the huge exposure that performing in front of millions on America’s Got Talent gave her, the Thai phenom still struggles with prematch nerves.
Speaking to Guitar.com the afternoon before her performance, she sums up her natural flow in a single word. “Surprise,” she explains. “If I play Zombie like the original, nothing changes, and the judges feel like nothing changes. But if I play my version, they go, ‘What is this song?’”
On the AGT stage, the teen prodigy converted the mournful 90s anthem into a palm-muted wrecking ball – surprising it certainly was, but she’s continued to confound and delight as her star has risen so dramatically over the last few months.
Image: Brite Panther
Let’s start at the beginning. Seven years old, Phuket. How did this all begin?
“Because of my dad. He’s not a musician, but he played rock on the radio: Deep Purple, Metallica, AC/DC. When I listened, it felt like it fit me. So I told him I really wanted to play rock, and he said, ‘Are you sure? It’s very hard.’ I understood what he meant — it’s mostly guys who play rock. My dad saw clips of people busking in night markets, and quickly said, ‘You should try that.’ The first time, I played five songs. People came up and said, ‘Oh my god, you’re going to be a famous rocker.’ I didn’t expect to become a rock star. But watching AGT, in my mind I was like, ‘I really want to be a rock star.’”
You didn’t play the market alone. How was playing with your band Ozone, and what did it teach you?
“We started in 2021, and I was still learning how to play with other musicians. More people started coming to the market, because we only play rock, and they all love rock. The biggest thing I learned is that being a good guitarist isn’t just about playing fast solos. It’s about playing together as a band and enjoying our music. We still play that market. It’s where we started.’”
So what actually made you send the tape to AGT?
“I sent in my audition four times. On the last one, they texted me: ‘You passed, you need to come to America.’ I prepared Zombie to make it my version, very, very me. When I walked on stage I was so nervous my hands were shaking. But when I played the first riff, my nerves were gone. I always imagined the stage was the night market, like it was my concert. The moment I really loved was when the audience stood up and sang along with me.”
And a week after the final, Avenged Sevenfold came knocking?
“At their Bangkok concert, they wanted to meet me, and I was shocked. Backstage I met M. Shadows, Johnny Christ and Zacky Vengeance. It’s crazy to think I started at a night market in Phuket and now I’m opening for my favourite band.”
You’ve called Synyster Gates your dream teacher, what about his style inspires you?
“I really want to put my own energy into the way I play, but I’m inspired by Synyster Gates. I love harmonic minor, pentatonic scales, sweeping. Honestly, on stage I don’t think too much about what I’m doing. The music just happens naturally.”
From a guitar perspective, it was hard not to not notice you kept using your 1978 Ibanez MC300 throughout AGT – why do you love that guitar so much?
“I have around 30 guitars, but on stage I only play Ibanez. I’ve used Yamaha and Gibson too, but for me it’s really important how a guitar feels in my hands. I got the main one when I was 13 or 14. A woman told me she was a big fan because she’d seen me at the night market. She has so many guitars, and she’s older and doesn’t play much any more, so she decided to give me that one.
“When I played it, it was so smooth that I didn’t touch the others at all. I’ve had it for three years and I’m still playing it. Sometimes in a concert I have two guitars, because some songs I need to drop (tune). Some songs I drop live, and for others my team swaps out my guitar. But it’s usually the same guitar.”
You used a Fender Deluxe Reverb during the auditions – what’s your signal chain now?
“I use the Fractal AX8. It’s very hard to find and very expensive. I’ve had it for four or five years. It’s reliable, it’s easy to press, and it has the wah for the solos!”
Your voice caught people off guard as much as the shredding. Did singing arrive with the guitar, or after?
“Together. I did guitar first, then I saw people who play and sing, and I wanted to do that. Music is all about expressing emotions. I love heavy riffs and crazy solos, but I also really love singing, because it’s the other way to express how I feel.”
Image: Brite Panther
You’ve started writing your own songs. What are they like?
“I have two songs so far. One is only a guitar solo. My biggest influences are Avenged Sevenfold and System Of A Down. I want my music to have that rock and metal energy, heavy riffs, powerful vocals, crazy solos. But I don’t want to sound exactly like anyone. I want to write lyrics about myself and make music that tells a story, like a movie. I also play drums, piano and bass, and I’ve written a slow song where I only play piano.”
What’s looking ahead for you?
“I want to keep playing with my brothers in Ozone, but they’re in school. So I want to perform solo and with the band.”
What do you tell the next kid setting up at the night market?
“Find your style. You don’t have to copy another person; if you copy, your performance will look weird and uncomfortable. And stage presence: even if it’s a small stage, keep doing it. It makes you more confident. You won’t be shy.”
The post “The concept for me is surprise”: Nene Royal on AGT, Avenged Sevenfold and the 1978 Ibanez that made her a star appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
