Sixteen-year-old Nene Royal has emerged the winner of America’s Got Talent, becoming the first Thai act to ever win the reality talent show.
The Phuket native performed a stunning rendition of Seven Nation Army, the 2000s rock anthem by The White Stripes, at the finals on 24 September.
Nene, whose full name is Rattikarn Amloy, wowed judges and the audiences with her guitar prowress and rock ballad vocals. She walks home with a US$1 million prize.
The win drew praise and celebration from across Thailand, including from politicians and other Thai artistes.
Nene started playing the guitar at the age of seven, busking at a Phuket night market to help her family get by with living expenses.
Her audition on America’s Got Talent – a fiery rendition of The Cranberries’ Zombie – thrust her into what would be a meteoric rise through the competition.
