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America’s Got Talent (AGT) competitor Nene Royal seems to be dominating the chatter about Season 21, and this weekend, judge Howie Mandel talked a lot more about her. Read on to find out why he thinks she’s going to be the next breakout star.
Nene’s Track Record
On Saturday, Howie sat down for a chat with Bobby Bones on the Rich Eisen Show. They talked about how AGT has managed to remain popular for more than two decades. They also briefly touched on Howie voicing Gizmo in Gremlins.
However, Nene Royal was the main attraction for AGT fans. She first blew viewers away with “Zombie” by The Cranberries and then impressed the judges with “Hysteria” during the callbacks. Finally, she received Mel B’s Golden Buzzer after performing Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” in the quarterfinals.
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Bobby Claimed He Didn’t Know Nene
The conversation about America’s Got Talent started at the 13:13 marker. When Howie Mandel asked if Bobby Bones had watched Nene Royal, he was shocked Bobby didn’t know who she was.
He said, “She’s only 16. She told me she got a guitar when she was seven. People who don’t even like this type of music are going ‘wow.’ I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
Howie added, “I know even on the callbacks after that aired on YouTube, she had like 47 million clicks in the first hour. Hundreds of millions.” And then he revealed that as far as he knows, Nene is huge on the internet.
Better Than Hendrix
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During the interview, Howie compared Nene to one of the greatest guitarists in music history. He described her as a “16-year-old girl from Thailand who is as good, if not better, than Hendrix ever was.”
Beyond America’s Got Talent, Howie also mentioned other shows like Thailand’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent. He asked Bobby who he might think of as a standout performer, and Bobby said it was probably Susan Boyle.
Howie agreed that Susan is good, but doubted Bobby would “buy a ticket” to watch her perform. But when it comes to Nene, things seem different. He said, “Nene Royal, you will remember that name.”
Howie Is So Excited
During the interview, Howie reminded Bobby that “She came on as this shy little 16-year-old wearing like a party dress, you know, and she was carrying a guitar and she was very shy and quiet.”
Then he recalled the stunning moment when Nene Royal let it rip. He added, “It was like the most amazing, surprising, wonderful thing.”
He also mentioned that he saw some folks driving down the road, waving flags in support of her.
“I’m not promoting,” the AGT judge said, explaining that his excitement came from his experience and his genuine belief that she would become a huge star. “This is the biggest, most exciting thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve ever been part of,” he said.
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