Phuket musician Nene Royal wins America’s Got Talent 2026

Sixteen-year-old Phuket musician Nene Royal has won America’s Got Talent season 21, becoming the first Thai contestant to claim the title, according to Thai PBS.

Royal, whose real name is Praew Rattikarn Amlอย, began playing guitar at the age of seven after asking her father, Narong Amlอย, for an instrument. With no professional musicians in her family, she learned largely by herself through songs and online videos. The first song she learned was “Zombie” by The Cranberries.

Her early experience came from busking at markets in Phuket. Those performances required her to play for passers-by, attract listeners and continue performing even when audiences were not gathered directly in front of her. She later appeared on the Thai programme Super 10 and competed in several music contests.

In 2023, she finished as first runner-up in the 14th Overdrive Guitar Contest. In 2025, she received the Outstanding Player award at the King Power Band Competition. She was also selected as a Featured Artist by Enya Music and had more than 3 million social-media followers before entering America’s Got Talent.

At the season 21 audition, Royal performed “Zombie” while singing and playing guitar. She received four yes votes from the judges and advanced to the next round. She later performed Muse’s “Hysteria” in the Judges’ Callbacks and Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” in the quarter-finals.

Mel B used the Golden Buzzer during the quarter-finals, sending Royal directly to the final. Judge Howie Mandel also praised her performance, with Thai PBS reporting that he said she should be given the US$1 million prize.

For the final, Royal performed “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles. The final featured 10 acts competing for a US$1 million prize. She also performed with rock band Linkin Park during the final stage of the competition.

Royal’s prize is worth US$1 million, or about B33 million. The award can be taken through annual instalments or as a lump sum based on its present cash value, with the lump-sum amount lower than US$1 million and subject to applicable taxes.