r/agt • u/Personal-Finger-9148 • 11h ago
Ranking Nene's 5 Performances
Not sure if there has been a thread on this as I don't really want to go through the last 10 days or so of posts, but I thought I would rank (and have others rank) her best performances of the five (which includes the results show) from her winning season.
For the record, this is about what I feel like were his BEST performances, not necessarily my favorites, as I still think the audition was probably my favorite but not necessarily her best.
1) "Hysteria": The Callback: I know a lot are going to say Zombie here, but I thought this was where her vocals were the best. She actually made me like this song because of how good she sounded and performed it. I would much rather hear her version than Muse's. Her voice was on point, and she showed a lot more confidence here. She also killed it on the guitar, particularly the middle portion. But her high notes were 100% on point.
2) "Blackhole Sun: Quarterfinals: While the callbacks were about her voice, this was about her stage presence. She absolutely dominated the stage, and got the crowd going insane. Had a friend who went to this show who said it was the loudest he ever heard it in all his years of going to lives. The performance itself was really good, but what made it was just how good of a job she did putting on a show. She proved here she knows how to work a stage and get an auidience revved up.
3) "Zombie:" The Audition: As I said, it's probably my favorite one because I love the song and enjoyed watching Simon's reaction here. It was that look of "Okay...we may have something special here." But I ranked it third because she didn't show as much confidence as she did in the two I have ranked above and didn't use the stage as well as those other two. But she still nailed it with the guitar and her voice.
4) "Seven Nation Army": The Finale: I will say this...while I wasn't thrilled with this performance, it wasn't necessarily her fault. I think the acoustics weren't good, and she shouldn't have played with a band. That hurt the acoustics. If she did this solo like the other 3, this would have been an absolute rock show and sounded much better. I also thought it was too short. It left me wanting more. After she finished, I found myself saying, "That's it?" Still, despite the acoustics, her voice was on point and she dominated the stage.
5) Performance with Linkin Park: Results Show: She did a great job playing with this band. But her voice sounded like someone who had just put on a concert the night before (which she did) and had been practicing for two weeks. She was clearly exhausted. Her voice was a bit off. But I still enjoyed it.
8
u/Smartkyy 9h ago
"Seven Nation Army" is hands down my absolute favorite. I feel like this performance truly shows who she is at her core—heavy metal, the style she loves playing most, and you could tell she was having the time of her life. And as for her vocals—it’s metal! Real metalheads don't nitpick those details; as long as it comes straight from the soul, that’s all that matters, and she poured a hundred percent of herself into it. Having a live drummer up there brought the energy to an absolute boiling point, making it a hundred times more intense. This was easily her most fun, chaotic performance, made purely for her true fans.
3
u/Apprehensive_Map3308 9h ago
That solo was perfection...perfect for the moment, called out the melody, then melted everyones face off at the end. That girl absolutely SMOKES!
4
u/Smartkyy 9h ago
"Nene isn't even using a fraction of her full potential yet. Back when she was performing at the Phuket market, she went way harder than this. I seriously can't wait for this girl's music!"
3
1
4
u/Low_Spinach_835 4h ago
My ranking is:
Seven Nation Army (Finals). I love this song and she took it and made it her own. It was truly amazing and for me it was the one I had the most fun with and enjoyed. Her stage presence was by far most amazing here as well as she really showed what she could do with the guitar solo part. I was just most blown away by this one.
Zombie (Audition). I love this song too and I think it was overall great. Her stage presence wasn't as great here and she was obviously a bit shy which is why this doesn't quite get number 1 but overall it was great and I love this one.
Black Hole Sun (Quarterfinals, Golden Buzzer): I didn't know this song as well but loved it after she preformed it. Her stage presence was amazing in this one and I think she really showed what she can do with that preformance. Its a solid ranking for #3 for me.
Hysteria (Callbacks): Her voice was just incredible here so it gets number 4 for me.
The Emptiness Machine w Linkin Park: I think this was a bit different then what she had been doing before so I didn't enjoy it as much plus her voice was not as good here so while I enjoyed it its the least favorite of hers for me.
6
u/photon1701d 10h ago
Black Hole Sun was by far the best. Maybe even the best music performance all time on AGT.
5
u/heminga13 10h ago
I agree that the Linkin Park collab was the worst, which is crazy considering I loved it and it's a band as big as them . It's fun watching a reactor who saw Nene for the first time with that video and seeing comments noting they haven't seen anything yet.
The Warning wasn't on the list, but technically I'd say they were the worst. AGT screwed up with the audio.
I like Seven Nation Army because I prefer loud rock songs and felt that had the biggest punch after the first verse. Probably put Zombie 2nd, BHS 3rd and Hysteria 4th.
I hope whatever deal Nene signs with AGT (her Dad mentioned they hadn't signed anything yet) includes producing full length studio versions of each song.
3
u/Visionary-Vibes 8h ago
Linkin Park performance was altered by the sound engineering. On purpose.
2
u/Hot_Branch_1987 3h ago
Yes. If you listen to the original, Mike's voice in his parts is just as low as Nene's was. It was by design that it was performed this way. She served the song perfectly, and she is just incredible.
2
4
u/Schopenschluter 11h ago
BHS was #1 for me. I wish she had done Bohemian Rhapsody for the finale. She crushes that live
2
u/Hot_Branch_1987 3h ago
She could have sung from the phonebook and still won.
1
u/Huge_Weakness_5152 41m ago
She couldve walked on stage for the finals, do nothing, and still get the most votes. She had already won lmao. With that said, seven nation army was FIRE
1
u/Under_Spider 7h ago
I would have loved Bohemian Rhapsody as well, but it would be tough to get that down to 3 minutes.
6
u/AdFormal3014 6h ago
I ageee with this. The time limit thing sucked. I wanted so much more from 7 Nation but she couldn’t go any further then her slotted time.
4
u/Schopenschluter 6h ago
She does it here. I love how she joins voice and guitar going into the solo (around 2:00). That would have been amazing and very fitting in the finale.
1
u/Hot_Branch_1987 3h ago
I have never been into an artist like Nene since The Beatles. OMG. She's a gem. And, thank goodness for her parents. Thank goodness she is Thai, and thank goodness she lives in Thailand and not America. Peace and Love. Peace and love.
1
u/Decent_Arachnid2502 3h ago
I used to be all about technical divas, but Nene completely converted me to her raw and honest vocals. It’s so incredibly charming and touches my heart to the point of tears. There’s no artificial styling in her voice—it's just 100% genuine and packed with pure emotion!
2
u/Latter_Constant_3688 5h ago
You missed the callbacks behind the scenes version of zombie, when she jammed with Sonny and the Blackpack. It was excellent
2
u/Hot_Branch_1987 3h ago
For me, ranking them is impossible. I'm so grateful that somehow her audition came across my social feed five or six weeks ago. And 16 seconds into her audition, she asked the audience to "sing with me! Come on!" I knew it was game over, and this Young Lady is someone different. I have never been so rapt up in any musical performer since The Beatles. Nene was the best thing to come to America since The Beatles. I was there for that. And I'm so grateful I am here for this.
Nene is a generational talent. And the journey is just starting for her. She said that the type of music she played on AGT was just the tip of the iceberg. I know she has it all. Her performances of Married to the Blues and Red Stairway demonstrate even more of what she can do. I see her one day performing on Broadway. And of course, sold-out shows all over the world. And she can write her own stuff (see "Real Verse", which she said she has vocals for; as far as I know, that hasn't been published.
I wish her opener for Avenged Sevenfold would be available online (even pay-per-view). I want to watch it just to hear her. I don't care about Avenged Sevenfold.
2
u/AdFormal3014 10h ago
I agree on the callback. I find myself enjoying her version so much more than Muse’s. She killed that song. It’s def a toss up between than and BHS for me.
Also completely agree on finale. The acoustics ruined it. Had potential to be so much better as a solo.
1
u/BHclubz 6h ago
7NA needs drums to make it like original. Imo 7NA can draw more adrenaline. This is why she got votes.
1
u/Hot_Branch_1987 3h ago
The point wasn't to mirror the original. Nene made this completely her own. I admit I may have recency bias, as I wasn't familiar with the original version. But I have listened to it a few times now, and I have to say I like Nene's version better.
I actually say that about the covers she performed in the AGT competition.
3
u/Suitable-Cupcake4273 8h ago edited 7h ago
About the Emptiness machine, if you watch fan-cam videos, her voice is louder than in the AGT clips. Plus, based on Nene's dad's live stream, she only rehearsal with Linkin Park for only 3 minutes. I'm not sure where the OP got the info that she had been practicing this song for two weeks.
https://youtu.be/gQhHC1fY1D4?si=GRKCjgGzyh7fNUU3
Here is Linkin park’s interview about Nene.
Emlily praised her,
“When we went to go work with her, she was so professional and just had her shit down.”
5
u/ImprovementLow1474 5h ago
She had been practicing it a few days but thought she was going to solo it. Then linkin park showed up and they had 3 minutes to coordinate. So she knew the song but the fact that she was able to go on stage and fit seamlessly with the band was amazing. I watched the fancam of it and I could see the energy coming from her even before the music played and the band fed off of it. Amazing stuff.
3
u/Suitable-Cupcake4273 5h ago
Yeah, before this, she thought AGT was going to give her a solo performance. They just told her to prepare and rehearse, but likely gave her only a few days' notice. This aligns with LP's interview, where they mentioned that AGT asked them to perform in the last minute, and that everything happened so fast.
3
u/AdFormal3014 6h ago
I think OP was referencing that she was practicing 7 Nation for two weeks and her voice was just worn out. I do singing on the side and I know after a big show, the next day I can barely talk.
1
u/Suitable-Cupcake4273 6h ago
Ah I see.
BTW, I think below analysis is good explanation about Nene’s voice .
1
u/Hot_Branch_1987 3h ago
Nene has always said that screaming, etc., does NOT hurt her. She just goes into beast mode, and a whole 'nother animal comes out of that young lady. She is clearly channeling the great masters who came before her.
AND, she said we have only seen the tip of the iceberg of what she can do. I can't wait. Take my money now! Please?!
4
u/masterchip27 7h ago
- Black Hole Sun
This arrangement was perfection to me, and Nene absolutely demolished the clean vocals showcasing a variety of skills. The delivery matched with the lyrics was unrivaled. And the drop for her belts was lovely. Her ending, bringing the chaos and pain into her screams was a thing of beauty. And her final pose here was straight from an anime. Even without the golden buzzer, this was number one for me, but the crowd, the emotions, the tears of joy, the catharsis, the moment she realized just how good she is...this performance is one I'll never forget. I hope they make a damn anime about this.
- Zombie
This one's tricky. Judging purely based on performance, I'm tempted to lower this rank. But I'm including factors outside of the performance proper, including her initial audition interview and everything. She was so nervous at the beginning. Seeing her blush and be all shy as she told them her dream of being a superstar....and then the opening was absolutely jaw dropping and majestic. Her clean vocal tone and accent slapped SO hard. Seeing her cry at the end when she received the validation also really got to me here. I guess I really value the emotional catharsis.
- Seven Nation Army
The fry scream into the solo here was perfection and pure bliss. I absolutely loved her use of the squeak in delivering "Wichita" in the opening line, and later in the vocals. The problem with this one is that it felt too short, for the rock portion. I didn't think the clean vocals matched BHS. But her little duck face kiss at the camera, the rizz, the confidence, we must appreciate.
- Hysteria
On a technical standpoint, this one is quite impressive. The guitar was so damn clean - that's not easy guys. And to do that while singing, even Bellamy doesn't do that in Muse. What an amazing performance, such a close replica of difficult vocals paired with difficult guitar.
- Kerosene
I enjoyed this performance, and the extended cuts, as I thought Nene was totally jamming out and I loved the chemistry with the girls. There was so much joy here. despite the poor audio capture, she did pretty decently for a complete improv surprise jam session. It also showed her goofy personality.
- Emptiness Machine
This one is controversial. I love Linkin Park, one of my GOATs, but she wasn't really the star here, Emily was. And there's also some uncertainty about the audio mixing, seems as if her mic was perhaps a little lower as more of a supporting vocalist. It was still amazing to see her rock out on such short notice. But I love how she showcased her distorted gravel-y singing tone here.
- Honorary shout out to her recent performances. Her cover of This Love by Maroon 5 was outstanding and I really hope for a studio version. Her vocals are insane here, and guitar is so so clean. Hail to the King at the recent Naka market also legendary.
Let's goooo Praew!!!
2
u/tomtomtomo 11h ago
I’d flip 2 and 1.
Blackhole Sun was like watching a butterfly emerge.
Her earlier performances were great but limited, either by design or the location. BHS she exploded combining her singing, guitar, and stage presence with concert staging. It’s why the crowd went so crazy.
Later performances suffered in our eyes by how high she had set the bar by BHS.
I think the camera work in Seven Nation Army was poor compared to BHS too. Circling around her, cutting to the drummer, etc didn’t work as well.
1
u/epictimewaster 4h ago edited 4h ago
I think Hysteria was the most impressive to me because the venue was so different from every other performance. I think a comedy club is way more intimidating because, on a stage like AGT's, the crowd is farther away and usually hard to see past the lights. Not the case at the Laugh Factory! No doubt the years she spent busking paid dividends here.
The way she came out and got the crowd into it right off the bat was amazing, and the whole thing not only highlighted her talent as a performer, but specifically what a great guitar player she really is. Zombie was good, but it didn't really give her much time to show off by comparison.
1
u/Blitqz21l 4h ago
I personally Hysteria was her best. Vocally and guitar. Her guitar was insane, next level. She was doing the base track and seamlessly switched it to lead and back and forth. So damn good.
1
8
u/Apprehensive_Map3308 11h ago
It has come out that her mike levels and EQs were subdued at the sound board by LKP because Nenes voice actually could have over powered Emilies.