From the second Nene Royal stepped onstage for her America’s Got Talent audition, it was clear she was going to be totally different from most contestants. She stood shyly, explaining she was a 16-year-old girl from Thailand, while her electric guitar rested at her hips. Then, she picked it up and began shredding as she launched into a thrashing, face-melting version of “Zombie” by the Cranberries. Within minutes, she had a standing ovation and a wildly viral moment on her hands: The audition clip currently has a whopping 21 million views and quickly made Royal a fan favorite on the show.
“I was really, really nervous,” Royal tells Rolling Stone, remembering that first audition. “It was my first time in America; it was also my first AGT performance and I had no idea how people were going to react. But once I started playing, I just stopped thinking about everything else, just focusing on myself and enjoying that moment. And seeing the audience stand up and sing along was something that I’ll never forget.”
That was just the beginning. Royal went on a bold journey throughout the season, constantly wowing the AGT judges with performances of rock songs like “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden, “Hysteria” by Muse, and “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes. She wowed the artists themselves, too: The Cranberries responded to a clip of her “Zombie” performance with a bunch of hearts, Muse reposted her take on “Hysteria,” and Royal says she heard from Chris Cornell’s wife Vicky Cornell after covering Soundgarden. (“I don’t know about ‘Seven Nation Army’ yet!,” Royal jokes, signaling we need Jack and Meg White to weigh in.) For the finale, she sang “Emptiness Machine” with Linkin Park, trading vocals with lead singer Emily Armstrong. All of it was enough to secure a massive win: On Wednesday, she was crowned this season’s victor and clinched the million-dollar prize, becoming the first Thai winner on the competition series.
“When Terry Crews announced my name, I’m shocked. I just faint. I’m gonna fall down. I don’t know what I’m doing,” Royal says, still a little breathless from the win. She’s gotten so many messages—from artists, from fans, even from the Thai government, which called her “an inspiration to anyone who dares to dream big”—that she hasn’t even had time to go through everything. “My school is watching America’s Got Talent and my friends, they’re all happy and they keep texting me and I can’t read all of it because I’m busy!” she says through giggles.
For Royal, the moment is especially huge because of what a massive rock and music fan she’s been. She started playing guitar in Phuket when she was just seven years old and would blast bands like Avenged Sevenfold when she was just in elementary school. “My taste is pretty wide,” she shares. “I’ve always been drawn to music that has wonderful guitar and strong vocals and a lot of energy.”
She began performing live when she was about 12, playing with her bands OZONE Band and Miniheart in Thailand. Her family was supportive when she decided to try out for AGT; her father can be seen rocking out during her “Zombie” audition. “My dad doesn’t know how to play music at all,” she says with a laugh. “But he’s supported me since I was so young, taking me to performances, competitions, rehearsals, and stuff and always encouraged me to keep going. Seeing him rocking out during my audition made me really happy because I knew how proud he was. Having my family supporting me throughout this whole experience has meant so much to me.”
Her favorite moment from her AGT run, she says, was getting to do “Seven Nation Army” for the world. “I knew it was such an iconic song, so I wanted to respect the original, but also make it sound very, very me,” she explains. “I wanted to make it heavier, and bring more guitar into it, and I wanted to add my own energy and style to the performance. I didn’t want it to feel like I was just covering the songs. I wanted people to hear it and think, ‘Okay you know this is a Nene Royal version.’” She also got to jam out with the Mexican band the Warning, who she was a fan of before the show. “I really admire them as musicians and as a rock band, so actually getting the chance to connect with them was kind of surreal. I especially love seeing that three women from Mexico absolutely killing it in rock music,” she says. “I’d definitely love to play with them someday.”
And though she just won, her two big goals are to release music and go on tour. She has a pretty clear idea of what her album would sound like: “Rock!” she roars. The list of people she wants to collaborate with is lengthy, too. “System of a Down, Metallica, Limp Bizkit, AC/DC, Linkin Park, Slipknot,” she rattles off. Avenged Sevenfold remains one of her biggest inspirations; she actually has plans to open for them at a show in Singapore on Oct. 13.
But first, there are more immediate plans in store. She’s planning on a huge trip to Disneyland or Universal Studios with the OZONE Band, made up of three teenagers from Phuket. After a whirlwind 24 hours, she can’t decide what she wants to do first. “Maybe the theme park,” she says. “Or sleep.”
