America has officially chosen its newest “America’s Got Talent” champion. Nene Royal, the 16-year-old singer and guitarist from Thailand, was crowned the winner of Season 21 after receiving enough viewer votes to finish ahead of the other nine finalists.
The victory completed an extraordinary journey for the teenage rocker from Phuket. Nene, whose real name is Rattikan “Praew” Amloy, became the first Thai act to win “America’s Got Talent.”
Nene first caught attention during the auditions with a rock performance of The Cranberries’ “Zombie.” Singing while playing electric guitar, she immediately established herself as one of the season’s distinctive young musicians.
Her road through the competition wasn’t completely straightforward. Nene later performed Muse’s “Hysteria” during the Judges’ Callbacks before reaching the live Quarterfinals, where everything changed.
During the Quarterfinals, Nene performed Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” and Mel B was impressed enough to hit her Live Golden Buzzer. That decision sent the 16-year-old directly into the Season 21 finale.
When the finale arrived, Nene went all-in on the rock sound that had carried her through the competition. She performed The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” putting her guitar playing at the center of another high-energy performance.
But her final appearance on the “AGT” stage brought an even bigger opportunity. During the results show, Nene performed alongside Linkin Park, joining the band for “The Emptiness Machine.” For a teenage guitarist who had arrived from Thailand only months earlier hoping to impress the judges, it was a remarkable full-circle moment.
Then came the results. After America’s votes narrowed the 10 finalists down to five, Veronika Goroshkova was announced in fifth place, Royal Lasers finished fourth and Hundred Fingers took third.
That left Nene and 22-year-old magician Geno Ploeger as the final two contestants waiting onstage for host Terry Crews to reveal the Season 21 champion.
Crews finally announced Nene Royal as the winner, with Geno finishing as runner-up. The result gave the 16-year-old the Season 21 title and the show’s $1 million grand prize.
The teenager was visibly overwhelmed by the announcement. As the celebration began, Nene became emotional and dropped to the floor before thanking the people who had supported and voted for her throughout the competition.
At only 16, Nene Royal arrived on “America’s Got Talent” as a young Thai singer with an electric guitar and left as its 2026 champion. From “Zombie” and “Black Hole Sun” to “Seven Nation Army,” a Golden Buzzer and a performance with Linkin Park, her Season 21 journey ended with the biggest result possible: America’s vote, $1 million and a place in “AGT” history.
