Gun Napat Cheers Nene Royal as Thai Teen Wins America's Got Talent 2026

From a flight out of Chicago to a celebration in Los Angeles

Thai singer Gun Napat Injaieua flew from Chicago to Los Angeles to support Nene Royal at the America's Got Talent 2026 final, then celebrated with her after the 16-year-old from Phuket became the competition's first Thai winner. Her victory in season 21, announced on September 24 in Thailand, brought a headline prize of $1 million and a wave of congratulations from home.

Gun described a studio audience that cheered loudly for Nene and responded enthusiastically to her performance and powerful voice. When the result was announced, he shouted his support at full volume. Later, he met her at a hotel, congratulated her and shared a hug, delighted that she remembered him.

For Gun, who also came through singing competitions, the meeting carried a personal meaning. He praised Nene's determination, training and family support, explaining that his own experience helped him understand the effort involved in pursuing a musical dream through a competition.

Nene, whose real name is Rattikarn Amloy, reached the final with an electric guitar and a repertoire built around forceful rock songs. Her last competitive performance was The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army. Before the results, she also performed The Emptiness Machine with Linkin Park, sharing vocals with the band's singer Emily Armstrong.

The win connected several parts of her life: years of guitar practice in Phuket, performances at a local market, encouragement from her family and a growing audience overseas. Gun's trip offered one close view of the celebration, while students, musicians and fans in Thailand followed the same result from thousands of kilometres away.

A rock performance that carried her to the title

Nene competed against nine other finalists, with the field including magic acts, performers working with dogs and a robot dance crew. Her route through the show included a Golden Buzzer from judge Mel B, one of the competition's special signals of support for a standout act.

Seven Nation Army gave Nene a familiar song to reshape around her own singing and guitar playing. She performed it at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California, with the final reaching viewers in Thailand on September 23. Rather than reproducing the recording closely, she described wanting a heavier arrangement with more guitar.

Nene, the singer and guitarist behind that arrangement, explained her intention in her own words:

I knew it was such an iconic song, so I wanted to respect the original, but also make it sound very, very me,

Her song choices across the season followed that approach. She performed Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden and Hysteria by Muse, drawing on music that gave her room to combine strong vocals with prominent guitar parts. The result was a recognisable musical direction throughout the competition.

How the final days unfolded

Nene's final competitive performance and the announcement of her victory took place in separate broadcasts. Because California is behind Thailand in time, the performance and results reached Thai audiences on the following calendar day.

• During the audition stage, Nene performed Zombie by The Cranberries, attracting a large online audience.
• During the competition, she received Mel B's Golden Buzzer and performed songs including Black Hole Sun and Hysteria.
• September 23, Thailand time: her final performance of Seven Nation Army took place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
• September 24, Thailand time: she appeared with Linkin Park during the results programme and was announced as the season 21 winner.
• October 13: Nene said she planned to open for Avenged Sevenfold in Singapore.

Gun's journey from Chicago placed him among the supporters watching the final in person. His later hotel meeting with Nene brought the public celebration into a quieter setting, where he could congratulate her directly and acknowledge the work behind the result.

An audition watched more than 20 million times

Nene's audition introduced viewers to a teenager who initially appeared shy, then delivered a powerful version of Zombie while playing electric guitar. The clip had reached 20 million views by September 24 and 21 million by September 26, showing how attention continued to grow around her victory.

Nene said the audition was both her first America's Got Talent performance and her first visit to the United States. She had arrived uncertain about how the audience would respond. Once she started playing, she said, her attention shifted to the music and enjoying the moment.

The audience's standing ovation and singing became a lasting memory for her. Recognition also came from artists connected to the songs she chose: The Cranberries responded to her Zombie performance with heart symbols, Muse shared her performance of Hysteria, and Nene said she heard from Vicky Cornell, the wife of late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell.

Those reactions added something beyond a large viewing figure. Musicians and people associated with the original songs were noticing how a teenager from Phuket interpreted their work. Her appearance with Linkin Park then gave her a chance to share a stage with one of the bands she admired.

Guitar lessons, market performances and family support

Nene began playing guitar at seven and started performing live at about 12. In Phuket, she became known for busking at Naka Weekend Market, singing and playing for people passing through the market. She also performed with OZONE Band and Miniheart in Thailand.

OZONE Band has three teenage members from Phuket. That experience meant Nene arrived at the American competition with years of practice and several years of performing before audiences, even though the scale of the television show was new to her.

Her father was visibly enjoying her Zombie audition, moving along with the music. Nene said he does not play an instrument himself, but had supported her by taking her to performances, competitions and rehearsals.

Nene described what that encouragement meant during the competition:

Having my family supporting me throughout this whole experience has meant so much to me.

Gun's praise after the final focused on the same foundations: commitment, repeated practice and a family willing to support a young performer. His own competition experience helped explain why those parts of her story mattered to him as much as the moment when she won.

Linkin Park turns an ambition into a shared stage

Linkin Park's appearance was a major event in Nene's final week. Before the broadcast, she had shared an announcement about the band's planned performance and expressed a wish to join them. On the results programme, she did exactly that.

Nene traded vocals with Emily Armstrong on The Emptiness Machine, a song released in 2024. The performance placed her alongside an established international band just before she learned whether she had won the competition.

Her musical connections during the show also included time playing with the Mexican band The Warning. Nene said she already admired the group and especially enjoyed seeing three women from Mexico succeeding in rock. She would like to perform with them again.

For a young musician hoping to tour and make records, those encounters offered opportunities to work with performers she had previously known through their music. Linkin Park also remains on her list of hoped for future collaborators, even after their shared television appearance.

Thailand celebrates, despite an interrupted broadcast

Fans in Thailand followed the results without access to the live NBC television broadcast. Many turned to a YouTube livestream, only for it to stop abruptly during the announcements. The interruption left viewers waiting anxiously before news of Nene's victory spread.

At Kajonkiet International School in Phuket, where Nene studies, students and staff gathered to watch her final performance. A video posted by the school showed them cheering and chanting her name. After the result, the school congratulated her.

Naka Weekend Market also celebrated the performer who had played there before reaching an international audience. For people who knew her locally, the victory linked a familiar young musician with one of television's biggest talent competitions.

Piyarat Na Songkhla, a 43-year-old tour guide in Phuket who said he had watched Nene perform since she was young, described his reaction:

I feel so elated and happy for her. It's unbelievable that she has gone this far. So proud of her.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul congratulated Nene in a statement, saying she had "brought honour to Thailand" and "instilled pride in the Thai people". The government's Public Relations Department also praised the confidence with which she carried her Thai identity onto an international stage.

What the million dollar prize means

America's Got Talent advertises a $1 million prize, but the winner's payment depends on how the money is received. The stated options are annual payments over 40 years or a smaller payment taken at once.

Under the annual option, the winner receives $25,000 each year for 40 years. Multiplying $25,000 by 40 gives the advertised $1 million total, before taxes. The money arrives gradually rather than as a million dollars paid immediately.

The alternative is a payment based on the prize's present cash value, estimated at approximately $300,000 to $430,000 before taxes. Present value means the amount paid today in exchange for giving up payments that would otherwise arrive over many years.

Nene's choice of payment option and the final amount she would receive after taxes have not been announced. The practical difference is substantial: one option provides income across four decades, while the other provides a smaller sum immediately.

A rock album and a Singapore performance are next

Nene's ambitions now extend beyond the competition. She wants to release a rock album and tour, and said she planned to open for Avenged Sevenfold in Singapore on October 13. The band has been an inspiration since her early years of listening to rock.

Her list of desired collaborators includes System of a Down, Metallica, Limp Bizkit, AC/DC, Linkin Park and Slipknot. Across those choices, she is drawn to music with strong singing, energetic performances and prominent guitar playing, the same ingredients she brought to the television stage.

Nene also had more immediate plans after the final: a possible visit to Disneyland or Universal Studios with OZONE Band, and some sleep after a demanding stretch of performances and celebrations. Messages from friends, artists and supporters had arrived faster than she could read them.

Gun's hotel congratulations captured the human scale of a much larger result. A singer who understood the pressures of competing was able to recognise a younger performer's work face to face. Nene leaves the show with a title, a prize and a much bigger audience, while her next stated performance date puts the focus back on playing music.

Key Points

• Nene Royal, 16, from Phuket became the first Thai winner of America's Got Talent, taking the season 21 title.
• Gun Napat flew from Chicago to Los Angeles to support her and congratulated her at a hotel after the competition.
• Nene performed Seven Nation Army in the final and The Emptiness Machine with Linkin Park during the results programme.
• Her Zombie audition reached 21 million views by September 26.
• The advertised $1 million prize can be paid over 40 years or exchanged for a smaller immediate payment, before taxes.
• Nene wants to release a rock album and said she planned to open for Avenged Sevenfold in Singapore on October 13.