Who is Nene Royal? Meet the 16-year-old rock sensation who walked away with ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21 crown

America’s Got Talent gets its newest champion in the form of teenage rock sensation Nene Royal. The 16-year-old singer and guitarist won Season 21 and its $1 million grand prize in a star-studded finale on Wednesday night. Hailing from Phuket, Thailand, Rattikarn Amloy - whose stage name is Nene Royal - grabbed everyone's attention with her confident voice, powerful stage presence and out-of-the-box rock style.

Nene has received immense popularity all over the world ever since she made her first appearance on the show through a live performance of 'Zombie' by the Cranberries. In the Grand Finale held on September 23, Nene once again stole the show with another live performance of 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes. Her skills on the guitar and vocals brought her an amazing number of over 1.5 million hits for her performance video posted on the official AGT channel - which is quite an impressive figure.

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'GOLDEN BUZZER' FROM JUDGE MEL B

Royal’s campaign received a perfect impetus after she got a 'Golden Buzzer' from judge Mel B in the quarterfinals, sending her directly to participate in the finals. Royal maintained her momentum since she always surprised judges and audiences whenever she was performing in the contest, finally earning enough votes to become the winner of the contest. This is definitely one of the most important milestones of Royal's life as her career takes off with a bang.

DREAM-COME-TRUE MOMENT FOR NENE

It's a dream-come-true moment for Nene as she has been playing guitar with the help of online tutorials since the age of seven. The teenage rockstar was already famous in Phuket, before getting a chance to appear on the American television show, where she would busk in the Naka Weekend Market using her bands Ozone and Miniheart.

Among the show's most memorable moments was when Nene performed 'The Emptiness Machine' with Linkin Park, in which she showcased her vocal abilities along with her guitar playing skills. The collaboration proved to be very successful within the venue and provided another highlight for Nene’s transformation into becoming a famous musician from being a novice performer in Phuket to becoming a finalist in AGT.