Nene Royal Wins America’s Got Talent 2026: From a Phuket Market Stage to AGT Champion
Nene Royal, the 16-year-old singer and guitarist from Phuket, has won Season 21 of America’s Got Talent. The result was announced on 23 September 2026 in the United States, early on 24 September in Thailand. For those of us who watched her perform at Naka Weekend Market, it is an extraordinary moment: the young musician from a local Phuket stage is now an AGT champion.
Congratulations, Nene! From everyone at Sea Me Again, we are proud of what you have achieved and grateful that we could witness one small chapter of your journey here at home.
Where did Nene Royal’s story begin?
Long before millions watched her on television, Nene was a child in Phuket learning the guitar. According to her official biography, she picked it up at seven and learned much of her music by ear and through online videos. Her progress took years of practice. She went on to earn recognition in Thai music competitions, including a runner-up finish in the Overdrive Guitar Contest and an Outstanding Player award at the King Power Band Competition; she also appeared on Super 10.
She played, learned, returned to the instrument and gradually built a voice of her own as a guitarist and singer. Her talent was hers; the chance to develop it came from years of effort and people who believed she deserved to be heard.
A childhood video shared as Nene singing and playing “Dance Monkey” at six offers a charming glimpse of her early love of music. Her official biography says she began guitar at seven, so we cannot confirm the exact age shown in the clip.
The parents who gave her a chance to be heard
Nene’s father, Narong Amloy, has described how he bought a secondhand guitar after she began learning music. Her family then took her to play for passersby at Naka Market. At first she was shy and knew only a few songs. Returning to that public space gave her time to practise, make mistakes, grow more confident and discover what happened when an audience stopped to listen. Her father later accompanied her to the United States for AGT.
This is where we want to pause and thank her parents. They could not have known how far those market evenings would lead. What they could do was make room in family life for rehearsals, carry a young girl and her guitar to a real stage, and stand beside her as she kept trying. They recognised a gift, but more than that, they gave its owner the time and encouragement to use it. Nene earned her place under the lights. Her parents helped ensure that her music was never left unheard.
The Phuket audience that knew her before AGT
Naka Weekend Market offered Nene a stage close to the audience. With shoppers moving between food stalls and live music, a performer has to earn attention one song at a time. Nene played there with local musicians, including Ozone Band, before and during the year of her AGT breakthrough. Our earlier story of Nene’s Naka Market beginnings and Golden Buzzer follows that first part of the journey.
Some listeners became part of her story well beyond one evening. Danish visitor Strit Bram heard Nene perform in Phuket and stayed in touch with her family. She supported Nene with instruments and, in 2024, gave her a vintage Ibanez Musician MC300 guitar. Nene later brought that instrument to the AGT stage. We do not need to put a price on it to understand the kindness: someone heard a young musician, took her seriously and offered a gift she could carry into the next chapter. Thank you, Strit, and thank you to the many local residents and visitors who listened and encouraged her along the way.
For us, her rise feels personal. My wife and I joined the crowd at Naka Market on 12 September 2026. It rained while people waited, then stopped before Nene and Ozone Band took the stage. She played her yellow guitar in front of a packed local audience. At the time, we wrote that we hoped she would become the champion and that Sea Me Again would support her whatever happened. You can see the photographs and atmosphere in our account of that rainy Naka Market night.
How did she reach the AGT final?
Nene introduced herself to the AGT judges with a forceful guitar and vocal performance of The Cranberries’ “Zombie,” earning four yeses. She returned with Muse’s “Hysteria” in the callbacks. In the live quarterfinal she performed Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”; Mel B pressed the Golden Buzzer and sent her directly to the final. Each appearance brought more of her musicianship into view, from guitar technique to the confidence to lead a large stage.
The callbacks also brought a memorable meeting with another Thai musician. Howie Mandel brought Nene together with Srawat “Sunny” Promyotin and his band, Sunny and The Black Pack, to jam on “Zombie.” Sunny leads the house band for Howie’s Howie Mandel Does Stuff. Watching her revisit the audition song with experienced musicians added another chapter to a journey that began with learning by ear in Phuket.
Watch the “Zombie” jam on YouTube.
For her final competitive performance, she chose The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” It was the song on which viewers voted.
Behind her was drummer Ashlee Nino, a member of AGT’s house music team, whose energetic playing helped drive the performance. She is a different musician from Paulina Villarreal of The Warning, the rock band that also met and played with Nene around finale week.
Watch the “Seven Nation Army” final on YouTube.
On the following results show, before the winner was announced, Nene had another remarkable opportunity: she joined Linkin Park to perform “The Emptiness Machine.” It was a guest collaboration, separate from the competitive final.
Watch Nene perform with Linkin Park on YouTube.
Then the field narrowed to Nene and magician Geno Ploeger, and host Terry Crews announced Nene as the Season 21 winner. The championship is hers; the support behind her stretches from Phuket’s local audiences to viewers across the world.
Watch the AGT winner announcement on YouTube.
What does her win mean to us in Phuket?
Nene’s victory does not erase the small stages that helped her grow. It makes them easier to see. Naka Market was a place where a young musician could practise performing for real people, supported by bandmates, family, teachers and a community willing to stop and listen.
We first shared her story when she earned the Golden Buzzer. We later stood among the crowd cheering her on before the final. Now we can say what we hoped to say: congratulations, Nene Royal, AGT champion. To her parents, the bandmates, mentors and supporters who helped her keep going: thank you for seeing the young musician in front of you, even before the world did. We look forward to hearing the original music she is developing and to seeing where her talent and hard work take her next.
Frequently asked questions
Did Nene Royal win America’s Got Talent 2026?
Yes. Nene Royal won Season 21 of America’s Got Talent. The winner was announced on 23 September 2026 in the US, which was 24 September in Thailand.
Where is Nene Royal from?
She is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from Phuket, Thailand. She performed on local stages, including Naka Weekend Market.
How old was Nene Royal when she won AGT?
She was 16 during the 2026 competition. Her official biography says she began playing guitar at seven.
Which songs did she perform on AGT?
Her reported competition performances included “Zombie” for her audition, “Hysteria” in callbacks, “Black Hole Sun” for the Golden Buzzer quarterfinal and “Seven Nation Army” in the final.
Who played drums for Nene on “Seven Nation Army”?
AGT house drummer Ashlee Nino played alongside her in the competitive final performance. Nene’s performance with Linkin Park took place during the subsequent results show.
