A 16 year old guitarist from Phuket has just made history on American television. Nene Royal, whose real name is Rattikarn Amloy, was crowned the winner of America’s Got Talent Season 21 on September 23, becoming the first contestant from Thailand to win the show and taking home its advertised one million dollar grand prize.
Her path to the AGT stage started far from any television studio, at the Naka Weekend Market in Phuket, where she busked with her bands Ozone and Miniheart, mostly performing rock and metal covers. She had been teaching herself guitar since the age of seven, learning from online videos. Her big break came when an American tourist named Sean noticed her talent, helped her family with the English application forms, resubmitted her performance videos after early rejections, and helped cover travel costs for Nene and her father, Narong Amloy, to attend auditions in Los Angeles.
Her televised audition, a rock interpretation of The Cranberries’ Zombie, earned her four unanimous yes votes from the judges and went on to become the most viewed audition clip of the season, drawing more than 1.5 million views. She built on that momentum in the quarterfinals with a rendition of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun that earned her a Live Golden Buzzer from judge Mel B, sending her straight through to the live finals.
For her final competitive performance, Nene chose Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, working in an original guitar solo and drawing a standing ovation from the judges. During the results show, she also joined Mexican rock band The Warning for a surprise duet of Kerosene, and shared the stage with Linkin Park for a performance of their song The Emptiness Machine, trading verses with lead vocalist Emily Armstrong while Mike Shinoda called her performance incredible.
Nene ultimately won the title through public vote, finishing ahead of magician Geno Ploeger, who took second place, with magic duo Hundred Fingers, visual light act Royal Lasers and aerialist Veronika Goroshkova rounding out the top five. When host Terry Crews announced her name, Nene sank to the stage in tears, later telling the audience she was very happy and emotional and thanking everyone who had supported and voted for her.
The win has made her a national celebrity in Thailand. She has built a following of more than three million people across social media, been named a featured artist for the instrument brand Enya Music, and watched her school, Kajonkiet International School in Phuket, gather to cheer her on during the finale. Thai fans, musicians and public figures shared her performances widely, and the Thai government congratulated her for carrying Thai talent onto an international stage.
