Nene Royal
เนเน่ รอยัล · Phuket, Thailand · lead singer and guitarist of OZONE
The 16-year-old guitarist and singer from Phuket who won America’s Got Talent 2026.
Her story
Nene Royal (Thai: เนเน่ รอยัล, nickname Praew) is a guitarist and singer from Phuket. She picked up the guitar at six or seven, largely teaching herself from online videos, and the first solo she learned was the Eagles’ “Hotel California” — an early clip of her playing it later went viral.
From 2022 she played in public under the name Nene Royal, busking and gigging with the Phuket rock band OZONE at the Naka Weekend Market. Clips from those shows — her “Bohemian Rhapsody” solo in particular — drew comments from Brian May, Dweezil Zappa and Michael Des Barres in early 2026. She won awards at Thailand’s Overdrive Guitar Contest (2023) and King Power Band Competition (2025), and released her first original single, “Real Verse”, on 4 January 2026.
In July 2026 she auditioned for America’s Got Talent Season 21 with The Cranberries’ “Zombie”, which became the most-viewed audition of the season. She went through the Judges’ Callbacks with Muse’s “Hysteria”, earned Mel B’s Live Golden Buzzer with Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”, and closed out the final with The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”. On 23 September 2026 she was crowned the winner — the first Thai act to win the show — after performing “The Emptiness Machine” with Linkin Park on the results night.
Since the win she has played a homecoming show in Phuket with OZONE, given interviews to Rolling Stone, Billboard, TODAY and Louder, and been booked to open for Avenged Sevenfold in Singapore. A debut EP is in the works, according to her official site.
Sources: Wikipedia, Guitar World, Coyote Music, NBC Insider, Bangkok Post, BBC, Rolling Stone.
The AGT run
Official NBC uploads. Tap a performance for 15 reaction videos and every other time she’s played the song.
Timeline
- Age 6–7
Starts playing guitar, largely self-taught from online videos. First solo learned: “Hotel California”.
- c. 2020
An early “Hotel California” clip goes viral; her YouTube channel @neneroyalmusic opens in March 2020.
- 2022
Adopts the stage name Nene Royal and begins performing in public; appears on Thai TV’s “Super 10”.
- 2022 onward
Regular gigs at Naka Weekend Market, Phuket, with the band OZONE.
- 2023
Overdrive Guitar Contest (14th edition): 1st runner-up plus Best Musician and Best Vocalist awards.
- 2025
King Power Band Competition “Outstanding Player” award.
- 4 Jan 2026
Releases her first original single, “Real Verse”.
- Early 2026
Her Naka Market “Bohemian Rhapsody” solo draws comments from Brian May, Dweezil Zappa and Michael Des Barres.
- 7 Jul 2026
AGT audition, “Zombie” (The Cranberries): four yeses and the season’s most-viewed audition.
- 11–12 Jul 2026
Free mini-concerts back home at Naka Market.
- 14 Jul 2026
Invited to Government House in Bangkok, where she performs with the Prime Minister.
- 11 Aug 2026
Judges’ Callbacks, “Hysteria” (Muse): advances to the Live Shows.
- 16 Aug 2026
Farewell concert with OZONE at a packed Naka Market before flying out for the Live Shows.
- 25 Aug 2026
Live Quarterfinals, “Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden): Mel B’s Live Golden Buzzer sends her straight to the final.
- 22 Sep 2026
The Final, “Seven Nation Army” (The White Stripes), plus a surprise “Kerosene” with The Warning.
- 23 Sep 2026
Performs “The Emptiness Machine” with Linkin Park and is crowned the winner of AGT Season 21 — the first Thai winner.
NBC Insider · BBC · TODAY
- 24 Sep 2026
The Thai government publicly congratulates her.
- Late Sep 2026
Interviews with Rolling Stone, Billboard, TODAY, Louder and Guitar World; homecoming show in Phuket with OZONE (27 Sep).
- 13 Oct 2026
Opens for Avenged Sevenfold at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
- 21 Nov 2026Unconfirmed
Reported as a special guest at LOSO’s 30th-anniversary concert at Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok. Press-reported only — not yet confirmed by the promoter.
Some outlets also report a Thai voice role in Disney’s “Hexed” and an earlier band called Miniheart. We have not been able to confirm either, so they are left out here.
From her own channel
Most-watched uploads on @neneroyalmusic. View counts as of 11 Oct 2026.
On TikTok
Songs she plays
Articles about Nene Royal
- NBC Insider — Who won AGT Season 21
- BBC — Thai teen guitarist wins America’s Got Talent
- Rolling Stone — Nene Royal on AGT and her debut record
- Billboard — Nene Royal interview after her AGT win
- TODAY — America’s Got Talent winner Nene Royal interview
- Louder (Metal Hammer) — Nene Royal on Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold and a Deep Purple classic
- Guitar World — Meet the guitarist who won America’s Got Talent 2026
- CNN — Nene Royal to open for Avenged Sevenfold
- Bangkok Post — Nene Royal wins America’s Got Talent 2026
- Bangkok Post — Nene to open for Avenged Sevenfold in Singapore
- Bangkok Post — AGT win drives 105M social engagements
- Bangkok Post / AFP — Nene Royal’s to-do list: write, tour and go back to school
- The Nation — Nene Royal’s social media engagement
- Khaosod English — Market packed for Nene Royal’s farewell concert
- Time Out Bangkok — 16-year-old Phuket teen wows America’s Got Talent
- Time Out Singapore — AGT winner Nene Royal opens for Avenged Sevenfold
- Mothership — Nene Royal to open for A7X in Singapore
- Bandwagon — AGT winner Nene Royal to open for Avenged Sevenfold
- Thai PRD — Government congratulates Nene Royal
- Coyote Music — In The Chair With… OZONE (ep. 84)
In Thai
Follow Nene Royal
- neneroyal.com ↗
- YouTube @neneroyalmusic ↗
- Instagram @neneroyalmusic ↗
- TikTok @neneroyalmusic ↗
- X @neneroyalmusic ↗
See her live
- 13 Oct 2026 — opening for Avenged Sevenfold, Singapore Indoor Stadium (tickets & info)
- 21 Nov 2026 — reported guest at LOSO’s 30th-anniversary concert, Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok Unconfirmed
- Find more live music in Thailand on our events page, or plan a trip to Thailand.
Unofficial fan profile by KhaosanRoad.com, compiled from public sources linked on each page. Not affiliated with Nene Royal, OZONE, NBC or America’s Got Talent. Videos are embedded from YouTube and remain the property of their creators.