A 16-year-old who used to busk at Phuket's Naka Weekend Market has just won America's Got Talent 2026, taking home the show's million-dollar prize and a place in Thai music history.

Rattikarn "Praew" Amloy, who performs as Nene Royal, beat nine other finalists after a run that started with her audition — a searing live cover of The Cranberries' Zombie — racking up more than 1.5 million views in a single day. Judges were so wowed by her live take on Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun that Mel B hit the Golden Buzzer, and in the Grand Final on September 23 she closed with The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army before fans voted her the winner, ahead of Geno Ploeger and Hundred Fingers. The highlight for rock fans: she shared the stage with Linkin Park for The Emptiness Machine, drawing praise from co-founder Mike Shinoda.

The backstory is what makes it special. Nene taught herself guitar from online videos starting at age seven, then spent years playing rock and metal covers at Phuket's Naka Weekend Market with her bands Ozone and Miniheart. One devoted fan from Denmark was so impressed he gave her a rare Ibanez Musician Series MC300 — the very guitar she used for her AGT audition. She now has over 3 million social media followers and a partnership with instrument brand Enya Music.

Thailand has thrown its weight behind her too. The government named her a tourism ambassador, a nod to how much soft power one teenager with a guitar can generate, and covered all her AGT-related expenses. She even wore a Thai-inspired costume blending Phuket tradition with rock styling during the live shows.

For travellers, the story is also a pointer to Phuket's lively street-performance scene. Naka Weekend Market, the weekend bazaar south of Phuket Town, is where Nene honed her craft in front of locals and visitors alike — and it remains one of the best places on the island to catch young Thai musicians, along with serious street food, in a relaxed open-air setting. If her busking grounds produced a global rock star, it's worth an evening of your itinerary.

Family runs through the whole story. Her father Narong, a 57-year-old stone carver who introduced her to music, drove her to busking gigs and built her a rehearsal room at home. Her mother Chuanpit told Thairath TV she had always dreamed her daughter would become a superstar — and got to see it happen live.

Howie Mandel's verdict in the final said it all: the biggest, most viral talent the stage had seen, and America should give her the million. America agreed.