Teenage guitar wunderkind Nene Royal has become a worldwide sensation after winning America’s Got Talent, following a series of viral renditions of classics such as Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun, the Cranberries’ Zombie, and the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army.
Now, the 16-year-old Thai guitarist has made her big-stage debut away from AGT. Last night (October 14), she supported her favorite band, Avenged Sevenfold, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
She entertained the crowd with her AGT repertoire, including Black Hole Sun, Zombie, and Muse’s Hysteria, as well as Rage Against the Machine's Killing In The Name and System of a Down’s I-E-A-I-A-I-O.
That wasn’t all, however, as she also joined Avenged Sevenfold as a guest performer on Bat Country and Unholy Confessions. As is now typical for Royal, she wielded her trusty vintage Ibanez MC300.
Speaking to Metal Hammer ahead of the performance, Royal described it as a moment when “Dreams come true. Incredible,” especially since Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates is her ultimate guitar hero, as revealed in an interview with Guitar World.
“It’s my first time playing support to Avenged Sevenfold, so I was like, [big sigh] ‘I’m scared!’” she told Metal Hammer. “And I’m going to play in front of how many? 40,000!”
“The managers in Singapore text me: ‘Oh, I hear you wanna play with Avenged Sevenfold?’ I was like, ‘Yeah!’ They said, ‘Well, Avenged Sevenfold want you to support them.’ They asked for me. ‘Do you wanna do it?’ I was like, ‘Yeah!’”
This high-profile support slot is just one of the many projects Royal has in the pipeline. She’s now “planning to create my own songs, and also doing some tours. I really wanna collaborate with those legendary bands.”
