Nene Royal Teams Up With Linkin Park on America’s Got Talent Before Winning Season 21

Sixteen-year-old guitarist and singer Nene Royal ended America’s Got Talent Season 21 as its champion after appearing with Linkin Park during the live results finale. The broadcast took place on September 23, 2026, one day after her final performance in the competition. Voting was already over by the time she joined the band, so the collaboration did not count toward the result. Before host Terry Crews disclosed the winner, Royal opened Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” on electric guitar and also delivered the first vocal section.

Emily Armstrong, Linkin Park’s co-vocalist, subsequently joined Royal, and the two sang the track as a duet. Rather than selecting material from the group’s earlier catalog, the performance put Royal at the front of one of its recent songs. “The Emptiness Machine” arrived in September 2024 as the lead single from From Zero. It was Linkin Park’s first new release for seven years and introduced both Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain. Royal therefore began the finale collaboration with a current Linkin Park recording, taking responsibility for its opening guitar and vocal parts before Armstrong entered.

That appearance followed a run built entirely around rock songs. Royal first attracted notice at her audition by covering “Zombie” by the Cranberries. In the callback round, she moved on to an energetic rendition of Muse’s “Hysteria.” Her next major step came during the live quarterfinals, when she performed Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” Judge Mel B used the Live Golden Buzzer for Royal, a decision that moved her straight into the final and allowed her to skip the semifinals.

Royal returned for the final competitive program on September 22 with the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” It was the last performance on which viewers could base their votes and completed her contest repertoire of songs associated with the Cranberries, Muse, Soundgarden and the White Stripes. Her Linkin Park set occurred the following night as a guest performance during the results broadcast, separating it from the four numbers that had marked her advancement through the competition.

Watch the full performance on page two