The Phuket girl who recently busked at night markets in her native Thailand received a grand welcome from crowds of fans and local residents on Sunday after winning America’s Got Talent and gaining fans around the world.
Nene Royal, 16, whose real name is Rattikan Amloy, made history by becoming the first Thai to win America’s Got Talent Season 21, taking home the US$1 million prize.
Nene arrived in Phuket at about 10:50am and was greeted at the airport by a large crowd, including her grandmother.
At about 5:30pm, Nene, her family and members of her band, OZONE, boarded an open-top electric vehicle provided by Phuket City Municipality for a parade through Phuket’s Old Town.
The parade ended at Charter Intersection, where large crowds gathered to welcome the young champion and watch her perform.
Nene and OZONE performed three songs at the intersection, beginning with “Som San”, a rock song by veteran Thai singer Sek Loso, followed by “Black Hole Sun” and “Zombie”.
Their performances drew loud cheers from the crowd.
“Black Hole Sun” and “Zombie” were among the songs Nene performed during her America’s Got Talent journey.
Meanwhile, Nene is set to take another major step in her music career by opening for one of America’s best-known metal bands, Avenged Sevenfold, at the band’s show in Singapore on October 13.
The announcement was made in posts shared by the group’s promoter and Nene on Instagram on Thursday.
“The stage is about to get LOUDER,” the promoter said in a post welcoming Nene as a “very special guest”.
Photos by Thai PBS World/TAT Phuket
