Nene Royal Becomes First Thai Winner of America's Got Talent — SkimNews
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- Nene Royal, a 16-year-old from Thailand, won America's Got Talent after Terry Crews announced her name, claiming the $1 million prize and becoming the first Thai winner in the show's history.
- Her audition shredding the Cranberries' "Zombie" went viral with 21 million views, and across the season she performed rock covers including Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," Muse's "Hysteria," and the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."
- For the finale, Royal performed "Emptiness Machine" with Linkin Park, trading vocals with singer Emily Armstrong.
- Royal started playing guitar at age 7 in Phuket and was performing live by 12 with her Thai bands OZONE Band and Miniheart; her father, a non-musician, was seen rocking out during her audition.
- The Cranberries responded to her "Zombie" clip with hearts, Muse reposted her "Hysteria" performance, and Vicky Cornell, Chris Cornell's widow, reached out after her Soundgarden cover.
- Her next confirmed move is opening for Avenged Sevenfold at a Singapore show on October 13; she plans to record a rock album and named Metallica, System of a Down, AC/DC, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit as dream collaborators.
- Royal also jammed with Mexican rock band the Warning during the season and called the experience of connecting with three women killing it in rock music "kind of surreal."
Why it matters: Royal is the first Thai winner of AGT, and the show's $1 million prize now sits behind a 16-year-old who is already opening for Avenged Sevenfold in Singapore and trading vocals with Linkin Park's Emily Armstrong on network TV — giving her a rare springboard from a reality-competition platform directly into arena-rock's touring circuit.
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