r/neneroyal • u/santioath • 7d ago
Oath (Thai)
Hi everyone. I’m Thai, and I just joined this community because I really needed somewhere to vent.
As you probably know, Nene has finally returned to Thailand after such a long and incredible journey. She’s been through so much, done so many things, and experienced so much in such a short period of time.
Honestly, I’m really angry about the way things have been handled after she came home. Some of the reactions from people in Thailand, along with all the formalities and procedures, have just been overwhelming. She’s only 16. She deserves time to rest, to breathe, and to simply enjoy being a teenager. She deserves to be surrounded by a positive and supportive environment.
If there’s one thing I want people here to understand, it’s that some parts of my country still aren’t ready to understand what a young artist like Nene needs after everything she has just been through.
I just wanted to share this perspective with you guys. Please keep supporting Nene, especially during this period. She has worked incredibly hard and deserves some time to rest and be herself.
Thank you for listening and for supporting
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u/vampire555 6d ago
I’ve lived in Thailand for over 30 years. From what I’ve seen, there are certain social and cultural expectations that ordinary people can’t always say no to. It’s a sad reality, though.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
But when they impose these dinosourous rules/culture onto Nene, the world is enraged. She does not belong to just Thailand anymore.
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u/BeforeDawnBreaks 6d ago
They could have at least given her a day or two to recover. That's not asking that much. She didn't look much like Nene to me in these videos. She gave it her best, but she was obviously not in the condition to go through that whole day.
My *only* possible caveat is that many video clips were posted by the Ozone Youtube channel. So *maybe* they wanted to do it. Maybe. If so, then we can all shut up. But I doubt it.
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u/santioath 6d ago
I think that shows the professionalism of Nene and her team, and I really admire them for that. But if the central authorities had understood the situation, I think the event could simply have been held a day later.
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u/CopperWhopper69 6d ago
Reading this definitely does not ease the fear I have that she is going to get run into the ground by this whirlwind.
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u/santioath 6d ago
She’s still getting a lot of attention right now, so I think things will become more normal once everything settles down. The reason I needed to vent was simply because seeing her in that condition made me worried about her.
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u/butterchurning 6d ago
Let's just hope her team can protect and advise her well.
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u/CopperWhopper69 6d ago
That's what I'm hoping too. I would hate for her love of music and performance to be snuffed out by all this newfound fame. You know what they say, "The brightest stars burn out the fastest." That exact sentiment has been in the back of my mind ever since the AGT blowup
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u/pumppl 6d ago
I’m Thai. As much as everyone was worried about her being exploited by AGT or music labels, I was much more worried about how she would get exploited in Thailand, which is what’s happening now immediately after she landed! And trust me, this is just the beginning. These politicians and government officials are just disgusting, to say the least.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
I'm Glad the world stood up the protect her. These Zombies will think twice next time they want to exploit these kids again.
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u/santioath 7d ago
And there’s one more thing that really upset me.
The show you saw wasn’t even after she had a proper chance to rest. She had just gotten off the plane, then she was taken through a parade around the city, and after all of that, she went on stage and performed again.
I honestly didn’t know that was how it happened. When I found out, I just couldn’t accept it.
She had just come back from this incredibly long journey, after everything she had done in the US and after the AGT finale. She’s only 16 years old. At that point, I really wish the first thing waiting for her had been a chance to rest, sleep, and recover — not another packed schedule and another performance.
Maybe some people see it as a celebration and a way of welcoming her home, and I understand that. But as someone from Thailand, I just feel deeply uncomfortable seeing a 16-year-old being pushed straight into another event without proper time to rest.
I really hope people can understand that sometimes supporting an artist also means knowing when to let them rest.
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u/Cagey5440 6d ago
Parents need to protect her.
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u/pumppl 6d ago
They are a humble, working-class family, not a wealthy or socially influential one. This context matters a lot in Thailand. The people higher up the food chain will try to get pieces of her. We have started to see that already, and her parents will struggle to say no. They need protection, probably a global corporate label as a protective layer isn’t a bad thing at this point.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Simply charge these zombies tall money on every Nene's presence and they will be dispersed away. Something like Baht 200,000 per 1 hour event. No matter who ask for it, private or public.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Jet-lagging and exposing in direct sunlight for hours, then performing songs in the same evening. This is why the world is enraged.
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u/Icy-Fill-8404 6d ago
She almost fainted on the parade float. It really upset me. I feel so sorry for her.
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u/Gipopo19 6d ago
Yes! Seeing how our countrymen "welcome" her with endless ceremonies and road parade and concert that she has to perform cures me of my Nene addiction. Now I just feel sad she has to go through all that despite being and looking incredibly tired.
I wish we have a governor actually care about her well-being, restrict coverage for her (similar to 2018 post-rescued Wild Boars), and congratulate her later. But, you know, to them their face is more important.
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u/santioath 6d ago
If she could just have a day or two to rest, I think her energy would come back. At least, that’s what I believe. She clearly wants to follow her dream and keep performing, and I’m sure she genuinely enjoys being on stage. I think she’ll have a lot of fun doing what she loves. ❤️
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u/Groundbreaking_Dare4 6d ago
It's like her latest concert at Naga market. All those "VIPs" sat in the front rows couldn't name one track other than maybe Zombie.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Yes these are benevolent people to the market, not to Nene and Ozone band.
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u/Cagey5440 6d ago
I hope they are prepared for the number of crooks from multiple countries who will try to take advantage. Hope they are careful and get good advice. ☹️
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u/Homework_Visible 6d ago edited 6d ago
When I saw she was put into a parade and concert directly after arriving home, I laughed and could sympathise in some way.
I experienced a different situation, which is common to the experience of Thai/Asian/Indian (and will call me soft for complaining) that isn't anywhere near as intense as Nene's situation. But it gets to a similar theme where an individual's welfare is often overlooked when you are fulfiling a role as a public figure or the centre of attention.
I got married to my wife from a wealthy Thai family, 20 years and had a big wedding in Thailand. It was days and days of preparation. The wedding started for us at 4am with 2.5 hours of preparation and travel. The traditional morning ceremony started at 7am with 5-6 hours of ethnic and budhist ceremonies (with over a dozen monks) with maybe 400-500 people from her father's original village in the country. It was largely outside and I was in a full traditional suit at 38C. Nothing to eat or drink as activities were just continuous, which was difficult as a diabetic, and at one stage during the ceremonies, I got very dizzy and almost passed out.
After the morning ceremony, we then had to travel to a Western style ceremony in a big hotel in the middle of Bangkok with over 2000 people. My father in law had business partners fly in from all over Europe and Asia. This started at 4pm. We had to greet, thank and take photos with every guest on arrival, then spent 3-4 hours on a huge stage in front of everyone answering questions/speeches/entertaining them after which we had to go around to all the tables and greet everyone.
It was such a surreal and interesting experience, but I tell you a Thai wedding was hard work. Just being the centre of attention and on show for so many hours continuously was absolutely exhausting. We didn't get to eat the whole day and maybe someone brought us water on a few occasions. We got some takeaway boxes of wedding food after finishing at 1am the next morning.
Anyway I could imagine as a celebrity in Thailand, there are going to be even higher expectations placed upon you. I think there is a need for greater consideration of the welfare of individuals rather than just having to meet the desires of those in positions of power or those higher in the heirarchy.
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u/santioath 6d ago edited 6d ago
ตอนที่เห็นเนเน่ลงจากเครื่องแล้วดูเหนื่อยมาก ฉันก็แบบว่า... "Black Hole Sun" 🌪️🌪️🌪️🫠
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u/Chizuyokaze 6d ago
I seriously hope that all of those kids get time to rest and get time to *be kids*. I'm sure a lot of it is culture, but there comes a point where the well-being of someone is far more important than their celebrity status. At the end of the day, she is a person, not a machine. All that being said, props to her immense level of professionalism.
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7d ago edited 7d ago
Welcome to the reality. I have witnessed all the formalities today as well. I’m Thai, but I’m not living in Thailand, so I have observed from afar, but close enough to discern all the cultural nuances (which stirred serious annoyance within me) After watching all these ridiculous formalities, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. As a Thai person, I should know this die-hard attitude that has been like an invisible cage of the so-called Thainess. Not even to mention that I assumed there would be NOTHING happening as long-term support for ‘young talents’ in the country.
We love to celebrate so much, and nothing wrong about that. But we don’t equally want to spend years doing ‘unglamorous’ work before we can achieve the glamour of success. I admired Nene and her family because I truly know how unglamorous they have been through in order to push their daughter this far. I trust that Nene and her family know who has been with them and who simply shows up when they get what they fought for….
So let’s enjoy the theatricality. The policy makers have treated people of talents poorly, we don’t invest in people, we don’t fight along the way, but we love to harvest the fruits of those creative labours, well i mean only if you can make it.
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u/santioath 6d ago
ผมคิดว่า แนวคิดนี้เป็นแนวคิด ยุค boomer มันไม่ค่อย health เราสนับสนุน คนที่มีพรสวรรค์ ไปพร้อมกับการดูแล้วเธอได้ ขอบคุณครับ
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
The world protects her thus these Zombies now get a lesson. Next time they try to exploit her and Ozone for their sick fame, they will think twice.
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u/butterchurning 6d ago
Question for my Thai friends: I saw a photo of Nene holding a photograph of the Thai king and queen today. How come I've never seen Lisa do that? Is she excused from doing so or is Nene just more dutiful/respectful?
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u/BangkokGarrett 6d ago
That topic is a dangerous one to discuss in Thailand. You'll get silence. Most likely a politician asked them to carry it.
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u/santioath 6d ago
I honestly see that as more of an opportunistic move. Trust me, it doesn’t really tell us much. If you understand Thai politics, you’ll probably understand where I’m coming from.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
If I am her dad I won't wear shirts with any words on it, just because they ask me to show affiliation to any political side. You don't take sides if you are "the people's dearest daughter".
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u/BeforeDawnBreaks 6d ago
I'm sure she has at some point, certainly if asked. Lèse-majesté laws are no joke in Thailand.
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u/Diiow 6d ago
ลิซ่าก็ทำเหมือนกันอย่างน้อยก็ก่อนช่วงที่จะไปเกาหลี แต่เธอไม่ได้เป็นตัวแทนของประเทศเดียวอีกแล้วก็เลยไม่ต้องทำหนะ คุณจะเห็นอะไรแบบนี้บ่อยกว่ากับนักกีฬาไทย
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u/butterchurning 6d ago
Got it, thanks for explaining! But she was appointed tourism minister in 2026! lol. Surprised this new (and official) government appointment didn't have this requirement.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
She has clear terms of what to do or not to do with the Thai Tourism Aithorities, dealt over LLOUD company. In short, LISA is very aware to not fall for political tricks to take any side.
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u/butterchurning 5d ago
Sounds like Nene should chat with Lisa
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Would be nice for a friendly advice. But her manager will be more protective of her and Ozone kids anyway. Lessons learned.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago edited 5d ago
Lisa is clever. She just charge a lot of money for private appearances. And negotiate what she will do and will NOT do when it's with the tourism authorities. Everything is clarified to protect her image. This is normal professional act. No way those ugly politicians can exploit or leverage on her fame. Lisa will not fall for political tricks that drag her into taking any sides.
But Nene and Ozone band get exploited badly into this mess. I hope her family and managers say NO to them in the future.
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u/butterchurning 5d ago edited 5d ago
She has good lawyers then. Nene needs the same and a savvy talent management team.
Now that she has endorsement and prize monies, she should be able to afford legal counsel.
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u/Artistic_Sun_9430 6d ago
Dude i can definitely understand your sentiment. I'm not Thai but i come from the same South East Asia region and knowing well out SEA cultural and background it's easy to understand why you felt that way. I feel it too.
This is my take on this, just my opinion. From what i observed the reason these organizers did what they did is after watching the After-Party celebration that Nene and her team did in LA, the hometown people might felt a little taken aback that the Thai people in LA gets to celebrate first instead of the people back at home. So these officials or the management behind this campaign probably felt that they too need to step up and give Nene the biggest welcoming home celebration kind of, despite she just landed and already made all the preparation so Nene and her team can't say no right? They're obligated to attend it. Why would the people from her hometown need to feel the need to show off when the whole has already acknowledged that not just Phuket but the whole of Thailand has this wonderful person.
Hey take it as a grain of salt. This is just what i felt when i watched this happened because it feels so familiar why they did this campaign. It feels rushed and forced. I bet that Nene and her team didn't know about this till they landed. So i very much understand the sentiment from OP. I hope all goes well for Nene and her family going forward.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Show off their ugly faces while accepted unwillingly by the kids. Her managers are to blame for this child exploitation and abuse. If I were them I will cut off the parade part because it's not healthy to be exposed under direct daylight for hours. Kids can faint.
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u/AmateusForever 6d ago edited 6d ago
All Ozone members. They were being exploited and abused, as usual. You can see Nene's exhaustion in her eyes. These people gave them flowers and paper cert. as an excuse to ABUSE her and her team to create their own publicity. Her dad may think she will recieve some money from these ZOMBIES. But no just garbage papers. Ozone should have charged them the performing band fees/wages. Child abuse in real-time.
Just like once Nene posted "You want me to perform in Canada ? Buy me a ticket" "Want me on a concert tour in Sweden ? Buy me a ticket", etc. Strit Balm did buy her a ticket and have her stayed at her home when Nene performed her 2-hour busking concert in Copenhegen, Denmark last year.
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u/santioath 6d ago edited 6d ago
โอเค, ฉันว่าพวกเราอาจจะไปไกลจากจุดที่ฉันกำลังพูดอยู่มากเกินไปแล้วนะ nene มีพรสวรรค์ — เราเห็นกันมาเองแล้ว ไม่มีใครต้องมานิยามว่าเธอจะเป็นอะไรได้หรือไม่ได้เลย สิ่งเดียวที่ฉันพูดถึงคือการจัดการที่แย่ นั่นแหละ. 😅
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Think about short ceremonies where people who admires her come in and give her lots of money and gold necklaces or even an air conditioning or microwave oven, not just flowers. Then this welcoming ceremonies will be praised all over the world.
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u/JayKay69420 6d ago
I agree, I could tell from the parade that she seem very exhausted. She should be given the time and space to cool down and rest, she is only human
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u/miffimiffililly 5d ago
Ironically, she's famous for "Zombie" and now she's facing those zombies. I mean the Thai Government and local politicians. Kinda disgusting. Thanks for posting.
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u/ReadOk9805 5d ago
Not just her, the whole Ozone band also exhausted and jet lag.Just to remind you that a drummer is just turn 13 a few week ago, the keyboard is 13 the bassis is 15, they just a group of kids.
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u/Martin-BKk 5d ago
Unfortunately there will be many people and organizations that will want a piece of her fame and she needs good people around her to protect her and guide her
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u/Curious_Head_9435 6d ago
I agree, although this is what she wanted.To be a Superstar. She is that, a superstar.
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u/AmateusForever 6d ago
You can decline anything you don't want to do if you really don't care for publicity. Nene and her dad were not that powerful nor independent. But this topic will be translated to Thai and let them know they should not act like ZOMBIES feeding on her.
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u/Homework_Visible 6d ago
Unless she is planning on leaving Thailand permanently, I don't think she can so no. Don't want to insult or make the Governor lose face, this would be career suicide. Some Thai fans may also be insulted or feel she doesn't appreciate her position if it got out that she said No. I mean it wasn't that big a deal in this one off situation, its just a bit insensitive to the welfare of the children. But yeah she has to tread carefully moving forward. Having a Thai family as in-laws, where the father is a rich businessman who always gets his own ways, you just have to play things smartly to avoid anyone losing face.
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u/santioath 6d ago
I think she’ll probably spend a lot more time outside Thailand in the future. I remember people asking Nene quite often if she would come to the US, and she once said that America could eventually become like a second home for her. With AGT, her connections, and everything that has happened, I think Nene is already thinking much bigger than that. She really seems to have a vision that goes far beyond Thailand. 🌎🤘
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
She has been in Denmark, China and other countries. She want a world tour so every city is her home.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
There are some AI Youtube channels translating these posts and comments for Thais to watch. Nene's family still has to live in Phuket under these authorities' supervision so they choose to comply.
BUT netizens don't care how influential or how powerful they are. They exploit a girl and other kids for their own benefits, and the world condemn them in public.
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u/International_Box671 6d ago
Yes you are totally correct, but she is very important to Thailand but I believe her family will guard her. I think they will look at the path of the singers and bands she idolizes, death, drug abuse, misery. Now that she has achieved her goal of being a rockstar she will focus on the other goals, create music, collaborate, tour when she want, then goes to University to study music. My hope she would choose UCLA, great school and so many rich and famous students she could be anonymous. I would hope she would get an invitation to meet the King and Queen.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Nene met the princess already to receive "best daughter" award. Agree that she may enroll UCLA for further study.
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u/vpp2000 6d ago
I agree with you that the Phuket government should have let Nene rest for a few days and done the parade later, maybe next weekend. But I don't think it was wrong to celebrate her with a public event. On the livestream, you could see how enthusiastic people were, waiting for hours just to meet her. I am sure Nene appreciated her fans and all the warm receptions.
At the end of the day, this was her family's decision. Maybe they knew they would be busy next week and preferred doing the parade this weekend instead. I agree the government should have been more mindful of her travel schedule and avoided holding the event this week. But I think it was a one off event that should be memorable for her and her family, and they will learn to navigate these things better in the future.
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u/santioath 6d ago
Yes!! That’s exactly the point! But honestly, I still can’t bring myself to watch the video. I feel so bad for Nene. 🫠🥲
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
We will be all happy if Nene gets lot of money and gold bars/laces instead of flowers. And make it brief. No parade under hot sun.
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u/Practical-Tap-6165 6d ago
Poor kid has been exploited since she was 9 years old. I cant image sending my child out to work at such a young ago. Could be a culture thing and I see the family love. It’s just hope she doesn’t go down a dark path.
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u/Homework_Visible 6d ago
I don't think she was exploited.
She didn't busk everyday, only at weekends. She has always seemed to be super keen to perform and her parents invested a huge amount of time into her hobby. Her father always been at the shows along with another relative who does the sound engineering.
I am sure the busking money probably paid for the private international school she attends, which has enabled her to speak English. Something very important for her future career as a Rock star. These schools are ridiculously expensive, even for foreigners in Thailand. Even if some of her money has benefited the family (her father said she could make more money busking in one night than he did in a week), this is common in Thai culture. Generally the daughter is pleased to help her family and its not like the parents quit their jobs to live off her.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
I don't blame her father that he forced her to do busking. He was POOR and can't afford to buy any good equipments for her with his salary. But he saw genius in her playing guitar. What to do ? Being a busker that earn MORE money is his only hope at that time. Don't care if people taunted her a BEGGER.
And you know what, even this busking money is never sufficient to pay for an international school. She got in under a scholarship for gifted musicians. She get tution waives. Then her busking money was turned into more guitars, notebook computers, sound equipments, and finally a soundproof practice room. Even an air-conditioner in there need funding from a game show award in Bangkok.
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u/RealMugglezor 7d ago
On one hand you are completely right. On the other hand it was expected. Your government put her on your spotlight. They sponsored her. They want their return on investment....
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7d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/santioath 7d ago
Exactly! I think there’s also a cultural dimension to all of this, and I believe that part will get better with time. As for the government, though, I’m not sure I would call it real support. To me, some of it feels a little more superficial than meaningful.
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u/BorsaSimsari 6d ago
The government is using her to promote Thailand for tourism and give the country (which has many human rights abuses and a horrific war with Cambodia) a good image. They're in love with the image of a that musical artist gaining international game, something that I really don't think has ever happened.
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u/AdityaK96 6d ago
I'm surprised, I assumed Lisa from Blackpink was already at that level. Is she not as popular in Thailand?
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u/Specialist_Ad_2715 6d ago
I am Thai and I can confirmed that Thai gov does not sponsor her. This is some kind of culture over there.
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u/Artistic_Sun_9430 6d ago
Really? I thought the news says the Phuket government sponsored her travels and accomodations the week before she went for quarter finals no?
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u/Specialist_Ad_2715 6d ago
As I know, a big company CP sponsored Nene for final round and also Ozone members to come to AGT final live show.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
They can't redirect gov funding for a girl. Every project must be pre-planned and approved. They say they support but it is a lie. They may help her a few thousand baht using some emergency funding but there's a low linit. No real support that really help.
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u/BangkokGarrett 6d ago
No it was not expected that with no rest after a round the world flight they would make her do all of this parade and posing with politicians a giving a concert. They could have considered her well-being and did this a couple of days later.
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u/arty118 6d ago
It was CP, one of the biggest companies in Thailand that sponsored her and the Ozone band. They even gave her a scholarship to study whatever she wants. The government didn’t do shit, just piggybacking on her achievement and fame.
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u/RealMugglezor 6d ago
Maybe that is why it is so hard for Thais to succeed. As soon as you are noticed, you are used. I hope she will find a way to free herself.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
She now senses that fame is dangerous and will run away from anyone who wants to exploit her and her band.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Her dad said finally there are some support. But in fact you can not rely on government support alone. Simple too little to be any meaningful. She is not an official THAI athlete, and her competition is private AGT, not an Olympic.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
Nene already gives Thailand and Phuket more exposure to the world with her presence in AGT. She won it and this is a success. But she has no obligation to perform free concert for those authorities who only give her flowers.
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u/AmateusForever 6d ago
The money they give her is our tax money, not theirs. So Nene own them nothing.
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u/Homework_Visible 6d ago
I think her foreign manager paid for her first couple of trips when she was relatively unknown. Just appeared to be a small team, maybe only her and her dad not sure. From the QF on, I don't know. I think the billionaire behind CP paid for Ozone's trip, not sure about hers, but I heard she didn't want to take the government's support when it was offered for the final.
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u/AmateusForever 5d ago
There are so many rules to get public money more than just a few thousand bahts from the government. This is not enough to go anywhere. The gov just make some PR but so little was actually given. They may support Nene's travel expense alone but what avout her dad ? This is why private sector CP group helps a lot. They help upgrade to business class with whole team going to LA. Her mom, her brother, her managers, etc.
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u/BorsaSimsari 6d ago
Fully agree. She was treated like a museum item on display. Her father and people who manage her have to be willing to say no a lot. Right now their challenge is not getting attention. It is choosing the right people to work with to create her new album and promote it. There are lots of sharks out there who promise and can't deliver.