Nene Royal Wins $1 Million on America's Got Talent as First Thai Champion

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Sep 24

16-year-old Nene Royal was crowned the winner of America's Got Talent Season 21, becoming the first Thai contestant to take the title and the show's $1 million prize.
Her victory followed a finals performance of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," capping a run of heavy-metal covers that beat nine other finalists after she emerged as an early fan favorite.
20 million views on her audition clip singing The Cranberries' "Zombie" helped propel her rise, and she also performed Linkin Park's "The Emptiness Machine" during the finale.
In Thailand, fans who turned to a YouTube livestream after NBC's broadcast limits briefly lost the feed during the results announcement before celebrations spread online.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Nene's school and Phuket's Naka Weekend Market hailed the win as a point of national pride for the young guitarist who once busked there.