‘AGT’: Nene Royal Reveals Music Plans After Winning Season 21
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What To Know
- Nene Royal won Season 21 of America’s Got Talent.
- In an interview with TV Insider, she opened up about her future music plans and revealed when she’ll return home to Thailand.
It was a nail-biter until the very end, but singer Nene Royal, a 16-year-old from Phuket, Thailand, was crowned the winner of Season 21 of America’s Got Talent on September 23. Magician Geno Ploeger, who hails from Hartland, Wisconsin, was the runner-up. Now, the talented acts are opening up to TV Insider about what’s next.
Royal says the most memorable part of her AGT journey was early on in the process when she first began auditioning for the talent competition series. “I was making my own version of ‘Zombie’ from The Cranberries,” Royal recalls. “I saw how the crowds would just stand up and they got the vibe, the energy. I got four ‘yeses.’ And then I got a callback. Then, I performed other songs.”
Of all the times she took the stage this season, though, she’s most proud of her finale performance of “Seven Nation Army,” adding, “I always practice and I’m very proud of myself that I made it through to the Finals and that I’m the champion.”
Royal doesn’t have an exact timeline for her return to her native Thailand, but she says it will be soon. And while she has some original music already recorded, she shared that there was no timetable as to when it would be released. Her dream list of collaborators in the future include System of a Down, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and The Warning.
“I just want to work [in] music,” Royal says. “That’s all.”
Host Terry Crews is charged with announcing who the winner is each year, and he’s highly aware of the fact that while one finalist has had his or her dream come true, the runner-up has fallen just shy of a total victory.
“It’s extremely stressful, but I train for it,” Crews says of the two-hour finale live show, which is preceded by hours and hours of rehearsals.
“I literally train for it,” he says to make sure he has the stamina to handle the emotionally-charged and physically-draining day. “I make sure my breath is right. I make sure my voice is right. You don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. There have been many times when the prompter has gone out.”
Above all, Crews is aware that these contestants are also human beings whom he’s dealing with. “These are not objects,” he points out. “These are people, who are either super happy or they’re super disappointed. And you do not want to mess with people’s hearts. I treat everyone as if they were my family member. These are my brothers. These are my sisters.”
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J
Does everyone agree that this girl who can barely sing won over the other 9 great acts?
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G
She belts out her sound with nothing but screaming. UGH 😑
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G
My honest opinion is, is I don’t think it’s fair. It’s AGT, which is America’s Got Talent, it’s not other countries have talent. If they are not a US born citizen, they should NOT be able to be allowed to participate with the show. It should be for American born citizens that live here. I don’t think it’s fair. The 16-year-old‘s going to take her million dollars minus the taxes back to Thailand to celebrate there. which she should’ve never got it in the first place. She definitely should not be welcomed back to any future shows of AGT whatsoever. Simon Cowell needs to pull his head out of his you know what. His thinking is very off with his old age. They want to play all this ICE stuff against everybody here that’s illegal, but they can let illegals come here and participate in the show? No, I don’t think it should go that way at all whatsoever for it’s not fair for the US born citizens, sorry to say.
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J
I agree 100% with Goldenlover. The show is "America's Got Talent", NOT "The World's Got Talent". You should have to be from the United States to participate in this contest., and our small club agrees with Goldfenlover also.
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M
Oof. Maybe this country really is getting soft, because these comments sounds like entitled American whining. Nene Royal was fantastic in this competition - the fact that other cultures come here to show their best is part of what makes us great - the fact she is from Phuket Thailand is just flat-out cool.
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P
AGREE!!! I was born in Panama came to the states when I was young and got my US citizenship the correct way as I should have! AGT is AMERICA's got talent NOT.... ANYONE'S GOT TALENT! The monetary winnings of the show should have gone to an AMERICAN CITIZEN!! Anyone on the show should have to be a US citizen..
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T
I just hope Howie comes through and finances a Vegas show for "Hundred Fingers." They're totally worth it!
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i get he trains,, but does he train how to just continue to yell? the yelling gets so annoying as well as the silly pec flexing
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i was talking about Terry Cruz yelling... and btw the 1 milliion is over 40yrs to get it all.. its an annuity.. read the fine print in the credits at the end of the show..
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