Nene Royal Performs With Linkin Park Before Winning America’s Got Talent Season 21

Nene Royal’s America’s Got Talent finale had two high points. On September 23, 2026, the 16-year-old singer and guitarist performed Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” with the band during the live results show. Later that evening, she was named the winner of Season 21.

Royal opened the song on electric guitar and took its first vocal lines. Emily Armstrong entered later, and the two shared the vocal spotlight as the performance built. With Mike Shinoda and Linkin Park beside her, Royal performed as part of a rock band on the AGT stage.

This was a guest performance on Wednesday’s results broadcast, after voting on the finalists had closed. Royal’s appearance with Linkin Park gave viewers another look at her musicianship, while the votes that decided the championship came from the preceding night’s competition.

On September 22, Royal made her final competitive case with a hard-charging version of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” She sang and played guitar, turning its familiar riff into a showcase for the forceful rock style that had defined her run.

The following night called for a different kind of stage presence. “The Emptiness Machine” was a Linkin Park song performed with Linkin Park, and Royal had a clear place in it. Her opening verse led into a vocal exchange with Armstrong as the arrangement grew more intense.

That handoff was the performance’s defining moment. Royal began with the guitar and the song’s opening lines, then Armstrong joined her. Royal remained part of the arrangement as both singer and guitarist, performing alongside the artists who recorded the track.

The song brought a recent chapter of Linkin Park’s history into the finale. Released in September 2024, “The Emptiness Machine” introduced the band’s renewed lineup to listeners and became a key track on From Zero.

Choosing that track placed Royal in the band’s current era. The televised collaboration used a song built around the voices of Shinoda and Armstrong, giving Royal’s part in the opening verse particular prominence.

Royal had already built her AGT identity around rock guitar. Her audition featured the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” while a later live performance of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” earned her a Golden Buzzer from judge Mel B and sent her to the final. Each selection gave her room to show both her playing and her voice.

Her route through the show covered several sides of rock music: Soundgarden’s weight, the White Stripes’ recognizable riff and the electronic textures of modern Linkin Park. Through those changes, she continued to carry lead vocals while playing guitar.

The finale also highlighted her background. Royal is a teenage musician from Phuket, Thailand, who brought a guitar-led sound to the American competition. Her victory put a young Thai rock performer at the center of AGT’s season-ending broadcast.

When the results were announced, Royal finished ahead of runner-up Geno Ploeger. The finalists included singers, magicians, dancers and other acts, so the public vote compared very different kinds of performance.

The distinction between the two finale nights gives the story its shape. “Seven Nation Army” was Royal’s last performance for votes. “The Emptiness Machine” was the collaboration viewers saw while awaiting the result. Her victory joined the two moments into one memorable finale.

Performing with Linkin Park also showed how Royal’s sound could work beyond a solo talent-show number. She kept playing guitar while sharing the stage with established musicians, and her exchange with Armstrong gave her an active role in the song.

By the end of September 23, Royal had performed a contemporary Linkin Park single with the band and won America’s Got Talent Season 21. The collaboration and the result brought her rock-centered run to a memorable close.