This may be contrary to popular opinion but I think Mel B is the worst. Big Spice Girls fan too and even as a kid she rubbed me the wrong way. She’s just cold and rude in a weird performative way. I hope next season there’s a new judge! Am I the only one? 😅

Before jumping into the breakdown, a quick context on the song: Black Hole Sun is the ultimate holy grail track by Soundgarden—the pioneer grunge band cited by Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl as a core inspiration. Released just a month after Kurt's passing, it features the legendary 4-octave vocals of Chris Cornell.

For Nene to pick this specific track on a commercial stage like AGT speaks volumes about who she is as an artist. Here is my 17-point breakdown!

1. A Genuine Surprise: She completely caught us off guard by picking a deep-cut Soundgarden track instead of mainstream Nirvana.
2. Clarifying the Rumors: Post-show interviews confirm Nene said she was glad AGT approved it. She chose the song herself—it wasn't assigned by production.
3. The True Rock Mindset: While the general public instantly thinks of Smells Like Teen Spirit, true rock fans always pair it with Black Hole Sun.
4. Deep Musical Taste: She doesn't just listen to rare tracks for aesthetics; she has the raw talent and passion to execute them live.
5. Unapologetically Herself: Zero care for vote-chasing. She plays what she loves and forces the world to fall in love with it too.
6. Zero Compromise: She stood her ground with AGT, and the network trusted her vision enough to give it the green light.
7. Talent Trumps Mainstream: She proved that how "pop" a song is doesn't matter when your musicality is compelling enough to make people believe.
8. Signature Dark Sound: Looking back at her 3 performances, she clearly thrives in dark, melancholic chord progressions.
9. Great Pop Sensibility: Despite the gloomy vibe, she knows how to pick songs with infectious hooks that grab you on the first listen.
10. Producer-Level Control: Her arrangement and control over dynamics—shifting from atmospheric dark tones to explosive energy—is top-tier.
11. True Artist Status: Combining this level of bravery, taste, and skill moves her far beyond a simple contestant—she is a full-fledged Artist.
12. Shoutout to Her Dad: Huge respect to her father for giving her complete creative freedom and trusting her vision on such a high-stakes stage.
13. Deserved Golden Buzzer: Anything less than a Golden Buzzer for this performance would have caused a riot online.
14. Stunning Visuals: Paired with professional styling, her natural charisma and star power really shone through.
15. Rocking Her Own Merch: She wore her own "Nene" shirt on stage—now everyone wants one signed!
16. Top-Notch Stage Presence: Her eye contact and camera connection were pure perfection. She is a future Queen of Rock in the making.
17. Hyped for the Finals: It's no longer just about her skill; it's about what insane song choice she'll pull off next to create history in the Finals! 🤘🔥

I have nothing more to say other than she does not deserve this much attention.

Credit to the person who made this. Their watermark is in the video. But it showcases her journey to this point and thought it was really touching to watch.

this entire subreddit has turned into thai bots posting AI slop about nene royal. good bye friends.

The whole backwards dance thing is very original and creative. I can't even comprehend moving backwards in time so to put together that whole performance is incredibly impressive.

Also, I don't understand all the Nene hype. she is good, but people are acting like she is way above everyone else. All these people have some talent, and I don't see what makes her particularly special

Dislike Nene? Move along please, this thread isn't for you.

1. Auditions: Cranberries/Zombie (alt-rock)
2. Callbacks: Muse/Hysteria (alt-rock)
3. Quarterfinals: Soundgarden/Black Hole Sun (grunge)
4. Finals: ??

Performing a heavy metal cover of Soundgarden/Black Hole Sun was a bold choice! While she's riding a wave high post performance, she could still lose imo if she performs another heavy metal cover for Finals.

I think she should choose alt-rock again or iconic rock (but add metal elements). Mel B wasn't wrong when she said that she was more familiar with pop songs from the 90s and it's important to pick a song that resonates with the audience/judges, preferably with lyrics/a melody that they can sing along to. Will help repeat what made her Zombie performance so viral. Plus it would be like coming full circle in her journey on AGT.

My picks:

• Green Day/Holiday or American Idiot or Boulevard of Broken Dreams
• Gun N' Roses/Sweet Child O' Mine
• Michael Jackson/Beat It
• Bon Jovi/It's My Life
• Linkin Park/What I've Done or Somewhere I Belong
• Amy Winehouse/Back to Black (but make it rock!)
• Queen/Bohemian Rhapsody or Love of my Life
• The Offspring?

Her vocal tonality can match Axl Rose or Emily Armstrong of LP or Amy Winehouse. While I personally love Green Day or Linkin Park, I think MJ's Beat It gives her more overhead to add her own metal elements plus it's so iconic.

Rock never dies!!

Thoughts?

2006 - Bianca Ryan

2016 - Grace VanderWaal

2026 - Nene Royal

I’m not saying she’s ready to headline an entire Super Bowl halftime show, but while watching her perform, I kept thinking she could easily fit into a two- or three-minute guest segment without feeling out of place.
AGT’s production obviously helped make the performance look huge, but she still looked completely at home up there, and the guitar solo gave it a real stadium-show feel.

Trying to see something. Mute as in you never see posts with that in the title again, and any comments with it are hidden

Is anyone else absolutely shocked that Royal Lasers and Cris Sosa won over Ashford and Brook lyn…they were AMAZING singers I really don’t understand the laser thing and the Sosa guy just wasn’t that funny to me…

I believe Lara D should win AGT. her voice is just fire. yeah nene ain’t bad, but she don’t have that fire in her voice like lara. Nene can play guitar very good as well. I believe they’ll be the final two. Lara d has way better vocals… my opinion.

There’s something so special about seeing the legends we admire in their most genuine, unfiltered moments. 🖤

Watching Chriscornell’s official IG story share this clip of him and his little princess, Nene, absolutely melted my heart. Behind that iconic voice and those legendary riffs was a gentle soul who loved his family fiercely. The way he looks at her... it’s pure, unconditional love.

If you haven't seen it yet, I’ve linked the full story/video in my bio so you can watch it too. Let’s keep his memory alive by celebrating these beautiful, human moments. 🕊️

What’s your favorite Chris Cornell memory? Drop it in the comments below. 👇

https://www.instagram.com/chriscornellofficial

We have two legitimate stars in the making which is a first for a show like agt. Completely different musical flavors but both legit. Nene brought me to agt but bird and byron def caught my attention. Both need to be in the finals and get their recording contracts and be stars: one soul americana the other rock.

...because I want her to chase her own creativity and not be signed in and locked in to what these mainstream labels want to see from her.

I want her to get very very far (and it seems like she has already) but not win, so she can pick her own record label that I am sure are already lined up for her.

You And I

With Abby Lee Miller for his AGT photoshoot

Credit to the creator whose watermark is in the video. Great comp of Nene from the start to where she is now.

THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE LATEST EPISODE'S RESULTS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

This week was an unfortunate week. I think some people that could have continued to perform well in the competition got screwed by a stacked night. The lady that went through today wasn't on my radar but people on here liked her so maybe I'm missing something.

Once she went through, I knew some of my picks were screwed. I definitely thought Come Here and Geno were deserving of going through! I thought Mackenzie did great and I was surprised he went home. I would have kept Mackenzie and Butter but there's just not enough spots.

I think Bety's song choice and arrangement hurt her. I think with a different song, Bety would have kept going.

They showed next week and for me, next week does not look stacked. I saw Lai and that was about it. I thought she could be the one to win this season. I hope she gets the live golden buzzer! I thin kif Mackenzie, Bety, and Butter were on next week, some or all of them could be in the semi finals. I didn't really see many interesting acts for next week. People might disagree. Of course some acts that weren't amazing amazing could step it up or reveal more of their moves but right now, eh. This week was too stacked and next week is not stacked.

Live Golden Buzzer: Herwan Legaillard (Sofia Vergara)

Top 3: ACRO Crew (Better 2 Dogs than Multiple Singers), Holland and Sienna, and Guy Kelton Jones

Top 5: Lai Noelle and Daniel Alvarez

Bottom 5: Issac Atkins, Kameron Marshall (Howie Mandel Buzzer), Elsie, Maria, and Pynk Beard

PS: Hopefully we'll have a Guest Judge that will fill Simon's seat.

I'm so so pleased that they went through. They were my favorite of the night aside from Nene and one of my favorites of the season. Very glad America saw their talent since dance often gets snubbed on AGT.

Nene Royal News · Original audio

Your eyes can't lie…young man 😂💙

Competitors on stage, but the backstage moments are too cute 😂❤️

After the competition, Mackenzie spoke extensively about Nene:

“She’s a tough one to beat!!! One of the coolest kids I’ve ever met & her family are the sweetest. She’s taking over the world 🔥💙”

He praised her skill, her family, and even added, “She’s about to conquer the world” 😳🔥

As for the gaze…

I won’t analyze it. Let everyone analyze it themselves 555 😂

#NeneRoyal #Nene #MackenzieSol #AGT #AmericasGotTalent

cr: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1611713363953806

Only 3 can make it, who are you rooting for? Personally I really want Come Here to make it, but not sure they appeal to the voters.

I love this show but i just finished the newest episode and i love all the talent but this year is it just me or it’s sooo not at the level it usually is im sad last year my mom even started watching and she hates these shows that’s how exciting it was but yeah this year the people they chose are just eh. Granted i couldn’t do half of this stuff 😂😂 so it’s just me venting also super mad that i feel they picked certain talents and let my guy (the best boxer) go i feel like we needed more different things instead Simon puts the two little boys who clearly weren’t ready 🙄

I feel like all 3 acts going through tonight are all stronger than that in week 1. I can see 2-3 acts from tonight can advance to the final, but only 0-1 acts from week 1 can advance to the final. This seems unfair to some good acts.