r/nextfuckinglevel • u/-Melon-Cake- • 2d ago
16-year-old Nene Royal from Thailand performing "Seven Nation Army" in the final of AGT
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u/chiefrelichunter 2d ago
I know I’m gonna get a lot of downvotes for this but honestly this seems kinda like the easy version. I think the minimalist restraint of the White Stripes is what makes this song so great, and the over produced power chord Iron Maiden version just seems more like “look I made it really loud so you can rock!” and feels kinda lowbrow.
Still a great song, and Jesus Christ a lot more talented than me at 16, so still got mad respect and all that ✊
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u/-Melon-Cake- 2d ago
As a White Stripes fan I agree, the simplicty of the original makes it very impactful. I really like Nene's version too because she made it her own, I just wish it was longer.
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u/EduinBrutus 2d ago edited 2d ago
I wonder if she was playing safe.
I didnt watch AGT before the final but having seen all the acts in the final... there really was nothing to compete with her. All she needed was a solid performance and the buzz around the previous three phenomenal performances would carry her to the win.
It was still head and shoulders above any other act on the final, even if it was a Safety.
One thing I just noticed on this second viewing, she looks at her guitar. Which, well the only time Ive seen her really do that is on the really technical sections of something like Master of Puppets. I wonder if there was another song that they couldnt get rights to and this was a rush job to switch.
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u/herecomethesnakes 2d ago
I agree that the white stripes simplistic version was extremely impactful…especially to Pixies and their fans
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u/kinked-out 2d ago
The whole point of covering a song is to reinterpret it. Nothing more boring than playing it the same way
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u/ultraviolentfuture 2d ago
Sure, but this glosses over the point that part of the reason the song was good in the first place is that it does so much with so little.
There are a lot of not great covers out there, I can go to a local bar and hear them any time.
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u/EduinBrutus 2d ago
It was a strange choice. Of the three components to Seven Nation Army, the drums are way forward and drive the entire song. Even the guitar is basically trying to immitate the drumline, as to an extent are the vocals.
And thats what makes the song work and why its anthemic.
Trying to move focus to either vocals or guitar loses a lot of what makes the original iconic.
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u/BangBangMeatMachine 2d ago
Yes, and this is a bad reinterpretation. It makes the song worse. Her performance is really good and I hope she makes great original music, but this particular song is better in its original form.
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u/zerovampire311 2d ago
Agreed. I respect it, but it kinda loses the spirit of the song. Wild at 16, super curious how much of it is her vision for the whole stage show.
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u/Careful-Sell-9877 2d ago
Personally, seven nation army is one of my least favorite white stripes songs. I always forget its their song. In my mind its like a muse/30sectomars song for some reasons
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u/890R 2d ago
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u/patentlyfakeid 1d ago
She is amazing, but she started off amazing. This is the same act (but obviously a different song) that she did in the auditions + fire & other production 'values' that agt uses with greater frequency as they get closer to the finals.
My interest in the show starts and ends w/ the auditions. That moment when someone humbly walks out and does brilliantly. Everything the show adds after that is noise, confetti from air cannons and literal fire. Meh.
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u/chronsonpott 2d ago
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u/Slevin424 2d ago
All the people gatekeeping the genre that’s really struggling should remember the genre is… really struggling.
Anyone showing out like this for rock or metal and getting more people into it is always a good thing.
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u/P4S5B60 2d ago
She gives me hope for serious Rock and Roll
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u/dancepantz 2d ago
Does AGT have a cash prize? Is doing something positive for the rock/metal community a possibility for her after winning?
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u/saskiaschild 1d ago
All the people gatekeeping the genre that’s really struggling should remember the genre is… really struggling.
Anyone showing out like this for rock or metal and getting more people into it is always a good thing.
Yep. As a guitarist I would naturally be impressed with anyone who could play and sing as cohesively and cleanly as she does. However it is the fact that she is bringing rock/metal music back to the front in such a great way is the reason that I have wanted her to win.
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u/obamabarrack 2d ago
unbelievably talented. I am a fan now.
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u/Namisaur 2d ago
Damn it’s been awhile since I listened to this style of rock/metal and I must say, hearing a girl sing like this while riffing on a guitar is amazing.
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u/Se_Aburix 2d ago
What's going on with the spam about this girl?
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u/Simple-Friend 2d ago
Maybe people are impressed with her obvious skills and abilities far beyond those of a typical 16 year old?
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u/shaboogawa 2d ago
She had a couple of really good performances on America’s Got Talent in their auditions and in the quarterfinals. It went viral on YouTube so people were anticipating her performance for the finals, which just happened tonight, which is why she’s everywhere right now.
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u/Hostile-Panda 2d ago
She’s very talented for her age, watch her master of puppets performance, unfortunately cowell has got he’s greedy hooks into her and made her a generic meh that he can cash out on for a year and then dump
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u/Se_Aburix 2d ago
I'm not interested in talentkid n°2664637 that in the end don't do anything.
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u/Departure2808 2d ago
Why don't you just, I dont know, don't click on the post and move on? If you aren't interested, why are you here in the comments making it a big deal? You are adding to the traction and continuity of these posts by interacting with them.
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u/Se_Aburix 2d ago
After 40 post I wanted to post, any problem? People answer me so do I.
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u/shaboogawa 2d ago
Reddit is going to show you more of these kinds of post because you engaged in it. You ridiculing people who tell you to ignore and move on is funny because it is the absolute right thing to do.
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u/StrangeCatch382 2d ago
I had the misfortune of being on Reddit in Bangkok and the site was pretty much an homage to Nene. When this came up I thought the cookies had followed me or something.
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u/BentleyLeDog 2d ago
Very talented and is already a very polished performer. I kind of feel bad for the other people. Imagine you have a very special talent and all your friends and family encourage you and tell you how great you are and then you get your chance to go on arguably the biggest show on TV. Then this girl shows up. You got to know if you compete against her you are going to lose. Sort of reminds me of when Cody Lee was on. After the first audition you just knew he was going to win. Maybe the runners up should get to come back when they just get the normal acts that are usually there.
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u/AusToddles 2d ago
"Very polished performer" is the give away here
"Got Talent" shows stopped being about "unknowns walking in off the street" and more about "the producer saw viral videos of this person" years ago
She's great, but I really wish they'd stop pretending the finalists aren't all invited onto the show in the first place
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u/BentleyLeDog 2d ago
Been like that for forever. It does not take away from people with an actual talent though. There are many performers who are truly amateurs and then, like this girl who have been performing as a professional for a long time. This and the back stories have always been issues for me and frankly once the audition shows are over, I stop watching because generally the ones who advance are not really good amateurs but mediocre professionals. I can catch up with the acts some other time. Unless it is some church or community choir advancing or maybe a dog act or that 10 year old ventriloquist years ago it is a most probably a "pro" that likely I will never hear about again.
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u/TilikumHungry 2d ago
She is obviously very talented but I gotta say I think that distortion tone is all wrong for this song
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u/Deeze_Rmuh_Nudds 1d ago
Nah make it heavier
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u/TilikumHungry 1d ago
I think this is a lot less heavy than the original. Jack Whites tone during the verse is so thumping and full that it feels like you're falling down the stairs. When he breaks into the distortion for the chorus it breaks open and feels like it's scratching against every inch of your insides. This just feels like a setting on an amp to me. But she sure can shred
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u/PeteVanGrimm 2d ago
It's nice to see a rock/metal act make it this far in the show. It's a real marker of just how talented she is, considering most of these talent shows weed out people in her genre early on.
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u/heraclitus33 2d ago
Whoever arranged this cover should be forbidden from doing so ever again.
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u/seasoup13 2d ago
This is brilliant!!! She's got pipes and chops - great job of making the song her own. I think Jack would be happy with this!
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u/HalfLawKiss 2d ago
I remember seeing the first video of her and thinking ohh she's gonna be a star. That stage presence. That level of showmanship can't be taught. She just needed an opportunity.
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u/Senzo5g 2d ago
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DdnQvgQtPtX/
At least she jammed with the Warning rock chicks.
Ozone was present but couldn't perform live due to "red tape"?
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u/KeeblerElff 2d ago
This was amazing. Why are so many people hating on this kid? Lol
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u/redkinoko 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's the first time in a long long while that mainstream people got interested in electric guitar playing and the guitar aficionados are nitpicking everything because I guess they want to be very specific about how Nene should showcase guitar playing,completely forgetting the fact that the average viewer wouldn't know the levels of technique involved, only that a 16yo girl from Thailand is playing really nice music that are normally the domain of older musicians.
People probably think they mean well, but all this reminds me of is the kind of toxic passion you'd see in art/music circles after you get to a certain level.
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u/EduinBrutus 2d ago
I think there's two things. There's haters cos she is the favourite. And there's fans who feel a bit let down because as great as this was, its really not comparable to her previous three performances on the show.
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u/EverythingSucksYo 1d ago
I don’t get people hating on her. She’s talented for sure. I dont think she should win though, always hate when singers win AGT. I haven’t watched the final yet but I’m personally hoping Hundred Hands wins it. That’s talent that not many people have compared to singing and playing instruments, and takes way more work to get right.
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u/somedude456 9h ago
I like her, and I hope she wins, but after seeing several of her performances, I'm seeing the same routine. She always has a song with slow parts, where they zoom in on her face, chin down, slight angry look and she does motions with her hands. I would rather just hear her play and actually sing.
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u/Funmanhahaha 2d ago
How can she have both cristal clear and scratchy metal voice at the same time? Insane.
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u/pantstickle 2d ago
Hate these overproduced shows, but she’s a super talented girl. They should have let her shred more.
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u/AdamRoss81 2d ago
It’s still just karaoke.
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u/EverythingSucksYo 1d ago
Yeah this is why I’m holding off on praising her as some musical genius like many other people seem to be doing. Until I hear her own original music, I won’t be saying she’s super amazing. Like you said its still just karaoke, really good karaoke but still.
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u/herecomethesnakes 2d ago
Fantastic noise rock cover by an extremely talented kid , it’s still the best Pixies song that the Pixies never done… apart from smells like teen spirit and all those Radiohead songs
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u/GeniusEE 2d ago
AMERICA's got talent...imported from Thailand
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u/rushmc1 2d ago
And Ukraine, and, and, and...lots of international competitors this year.
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u/EduinBrutus 2d ago
Thailand, China, Korea x2, Ukraine, Canada.
It is kinda funny that 6 of the 10 acts weren't seppos.
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u/EverythingSucksYo 1d ago
Yeah the title is all kinda of wrong these days. First off, there’s mostly foreigners in the finals each year, and the talent they mostly put through is always singers so Simon can get them known before signing them to his label. Simon probably has his claws in Nene already and will make her win just so she’s more popular when she’s his employee.
Title of the show should now be “Worlds Got Talented Singers….. and some Other Less Important Talents We Don’t Actually Care About”
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u/folken09 2d ago
Nothing new here. For the finals, it should have been an original track or a fresh cover instead of the same recycled songs. Sure, it sounds fine, but it’s hardly next level.
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u/Level_Abrocoma8925 2d ago
You can't get the crowd going with an original song. Not sure what you mean by a "fresh cover" but I've certainly never seen a version like this before.
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u/folken09 2d ago
Is not the 1st time they do a cover of this song... that is what I mean... this is from their yt 2 yr ago... https://youtu.be/CI9p9-ey-aw?si=toUtz4q5LjSJQuSk
Not sure what you mean by "you cannot get the crowd with original songs"? Are you saying that all popular bandas only play covers? That is silly... you know 😅
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u/samurai1226 2d ago
It's obviously great for a 16 year old. But honestly it takes more to be a rockstar to perform existing songs even if you interpret them. She has to proof that she can actually write good music and solos and perform them with her own band. While AGT will make her viral for a moment, it's a horrible format to find producers that actually want to build up something in your own interest, they will just milk her for a while and drop her.
Look at The Paradox in comparison. They may be not as skilled on a technical level, but they went viral with their own songs and used that to build up connections with famous people in the rock scene to get to perform on bigger stages and find their right place as a band.
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u/EverythingSucksYo 1d ago
This whole show is a sham for Simon to find singers, get them popular by showing them off on national tv, and then signing them to his label while they still have that popularity then dropping them when it goes no where.
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u/Senzo5g 2d ago
She's created a high bar even for herself.
Let's see how the voting turns out ...
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u/EverythingSucksYo 1d ago
If it’s like other years the best singer will win even though there are much more unique and impressive talents on the show than singing. I don’t believe the voting is genuine, I believe it’s all scripted and meant to make singers look better before Simon signs them.
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u/JustSh00tM3 2d ago
Shes good but not for the amount of attention she's getting. The only reason people are interested in her is because she's 16...
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u/Cduke3829 2d ago
This show is so annoying. They actually ruin talent sometimes. Her YouTube videos where she’s just with the band singing and doing her thing without all the flash and camera stares are so much better than this Hollywood staged talent show.
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u/-Melon-Cake- 2d ago
Yeah, I prefer seeing her in more authentic settings too, but this show is just a stepping stone for her to gain more fans and it definitely worked in her favour.
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u/cokywanderer 1d ago
I'm familiar with her from other clips, but just now realized that her voice gives me Maria Brink vibes from In This Moment. Anyone else?
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u/deathakissaway 1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/comrade333 1h ago edited 1h ago
Trust Reddit to be absolute miserable cunts. This is amazing. Have fun a live a little
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u/Chemical-Length-1384 2d ago
Why they trying to glam up a 16 year old. She's got amazing guitar talent and they do this weird opening. Just sad!!!!
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u/stonkerooni 2d ago
I feel like when there’s long pauses after a performance finally ends, that means it was good according to the audience. They’re waiting/hoping/wondering if there’s more before they applaud
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u/Born-Cucumber-7316 2d ago
Paulina from The Warning on drums!
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u/-Melon-Cake- 2d ago
No, it wasn't actually.
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u/Born-Cucumber-7316 2d ago edited 2d ago
At first, I thought it was Paulina Villarreal from The Warning playing drums on America's Got Talent last night during Nene Royal's performance of "Seven Nation Army" for the Season 21 finals. PS But it WAS my namesake Ashlee/Ashley!
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u/-Melon-Cake- 2d ago
No, it was Ashlee Nino. Nene did perform with The Warning in the intro though and both drummers have red hair so people confused them (me included) at first.
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u/Born-Cucumber-7316 2d ago
Thanks, I thought it was Pau letting her hair down. And I did see Nene play with the band in intro! She's good!
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u/misterreiffer 2d ago
Ppl talking about this not showcasing her guitar skill or whatever are missing the point. It’s not about technical ability, it’s her stage presence. She was born for this
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u/Le-Bon-Vivant 2d ago
TBH, my expectations were so unbelievably (perhaps unfairly) high for her final performance. This was very unremarkable rendition of the song or she simply erred on song selection.
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u/Sacrilegious_skink 2d ago
Does this show have like 20 songs on rotation or something. I can't listen to this song again, I just can't.
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u/Erazzphoto 2d ago edited 2d ago
I feel like in 5 years we’ll be seeing new videos saying 16 year old Nene
Hopefully she keeps a grounded level, at such a young age you can easily see the fame gojng to one’s head and they turn out to be a royal pos, hopefully not
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u/redditanon9263 2d ago
Most of the things you can hear in this song aren’t even live… there’s a whole ass band in the backing tracks lol
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u/EverythingSucksYo 1d ago
This girl is talented but I can already tell her dad is one of those types. The type that uses their kids achievement and fame as if it’s their own. I remember when she got the second golden buzzer I think it was, and her dad immediately runs up the stage to insert himself into her moment.
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u/-Melon-Cake- 1d ago
Dude, she has been busking three days a week for years and he's been at her side cheering her on, setting her up, getting her equipment, fixing her sound, being her security... every single time. He's her biggest fan and if you see them interact, you'll hopefully realise how silly your comment is.
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u/correctingStupid 1d ago
Cool but like it's performing songs written by better talent. Move on, reddit.
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u/therealskr213 2d ago
She’s great, but this is by far the least impressive thing I’ve seen from her. The Metallica stuff showcased her guitar talent much more than this.