BANGKOK: Thailand is rallying behind a 16-year-old guitarist whose viral run on America’s Got Talent is raising hopes she can draw fresh international attention and, eventually, more tourists to the country.
Rattikarn Amloy, who performs as Nene Royal, shot to fame with a swaggering rendition of The Cranberries’ Zombie, singing and ripping through guitar solos that quickly spread across social media.
Her appearances have since amassed more than 200 million views across AGT’s official online platforms, more than any other act this year.
Thai officials have welcomed Nene’s rise and hope her growing international profile can bolster tourism promotion. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul instructed tourism authorities to explore ways to support Nene after seeing her perform and later hosted her at Government House, where she accompanied him as he sang a Thai rock song. The government has also discussed featuring her in campaigns for the "Amazing Thailand” brand.
Entertainment and popular culture have helped keep Thailand visible overseas. Most recently, HBO’s The White Lotus put the country’s luxury resorts and tropical scenery before a vast international audience and fueled interest in visiting its filming locations.
The potential lift comes at a crucial time for one of Thailand’s biggest economic engines. The country welcomed about 20 million foreign visitors through Aug. 22, roughly three per cent fewer than a year earlier.
Annual arrivals have yet to regain the 2019 record of almost 40 million.
Nene offers a different kind of visibility. Her rock performances project a younger, more contemporary Thailand beyond the beaches, food and traditional culture for which it is already known.
Her rise has also attracted prominent supporters. Charoen Pokphand Foods Pcl - part of CP Group, the conglomerate controlled by billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont’s family - rented space on a giant screen in New York’s Times Square to feature Nene alongside messages of support from Thai fans ahead of the live rounds.
Opal Suchata Chuangsri, the reigning Miss World and a fellow Phuket native, also publicly wished her success in the competition, urging Nene to "show the world what you can do.”
Nene didn’t respond to questions sent to her official Facebook page, where she has more than 3.1 million followers. She has told a Thai television outlet that she hopes to become a global artist with her own concert tour.
She is set to compete in AGT’s live quarterfinal, airing Aug. 25 on NBC in the US. Her supporters in Thailand can watch but not vote because participation is limited to the US and Puerto Rico.
Guitar demand
Nene’s influence is already translating into business for Thai guitar shops and music schools.
"Interest has clearly picked up since Nene went viral,” said Naris Padungsaeng, who owns a music shop on the outskirts of Bangkok. He sold two electric guitars to students over the past two weeks. Earlier this year, even one sale a month was considered strong, he said.
At a music shop in a Bangkok mall, 17-year-old high school student Benjapa Kaewpradit recently picked up an electric guitar for the first time after Nene began appearing in her social-media feeds.
"I started thinking, ‘Maybe I could learn too,’” she said. "Nene has made me want to try.”
Music schools across the country are also receiving more inquiries from young people, according to Wisoot Intharapichit, president of the Music School Association of Thailand, who expects Nene’s growing fame to lift demand for lessons and instruments.
Global stars have shaped young aspirations in Thailand before, from Blackpink’s Lisa in dance, Paradorn Srichaphan in tennis, and Tiger Woods, whose mother was Thai, in golf.
For Nene, the American prime-time stage is a long way from the Phuket night market where she once played for donations.
She started playing at seven on a 1,600-baht (US$49) guitar, a considerable expense for her family when her father earned just over 10,000 baht a month. To help pay for lessons, he encouraged her to perform at the market. - Bloomberg
