Overseas, she was heralded as a “brilliant” singer who managed to win over the characteristically mirthless Simon Cowell, the creator and judge of AGT who has fashioned a picky, prickly persona.

Many outlets also picked up on Putri’s Indonesian heritage and the fact that she is blind, giving a much-needed visibility boost to the differently abled communities of the world and the Asian diaspora, which the United States celebrated recently as part of Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month.

The notoriously fickle netizens of Indonesia were awash with national pride, and a bevy of politicians sought to ride Putri’s wave of virality with messages of affirmation.

While she is currently seeking admission to the prestigious Julliard School of Performing Arts in New York, Putri’s performance has already won her an audience of decision-makers back home.

It was, as part of the implicit promise of AGT, a back door to fame, and for Putri, it led to the other side of the world.

For the growing legion of fans from her distant homeland, she is the epitome of a true Indonesian talent, a gem who follows in the footsteps of many before her by making a mark in America, the land of opportunity.

Just weeks before Putri’s watershed moment on stage, fellow singer Niki made a splash on a much smaller stage than AGT, becoming the first Indonesian to perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk series, which is considered by many to be a marker of cool in an otherwise cutthroat music industry.

Niki became popular in Indonesia under American music label 88rising, which also gave US-based rapper Brian “Rich Brian” Immanuel a platform to grow his Indonesian fanbase.

Around the same time, child prodigy Joey Alexander wowed the jazz world with his piano skills.

A few years earlier, in 2013, former child star Agnez Mo found her musical footing in the US.

All of them are still around after their first few albums, proving that they’re not just one-hit wonders.

In another corner of the arts and culture scene, we are reminded of the rise of author Eka Kurniawan, who initially struggled to get published in Indonesia but eventually found acclaim in the US with a novel that was translated into several dozen languages and earned a Man Booker International Prize nomination for another. He is among the few Indonesian writers, besides his inspiration, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, to gain a global following.

In film, Iko Uwais broke cultural barriers after starring in a series of ultra-violent action flicks that refined martial arts choreography in Hollywood and elsewhere.

In most of these instances, international acclaim comes as the result of exposure to the US entertainment and culture industry, as opposed to getting recognition back home.

As places like the US embrace the multicultural make-up of their populations, as well as the importance of migrant communities to the nation’s legacy, more doors open up for Indonesia’s creatives.

And thanks to the accessibility of US streaming platforms such as Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime, cultural representation is becoming more widespread globally.

As it turns out, the American Dream is alive and kicking in mainstream and popular culture. Gone, mostly, are the days of uber-patriotic subliminal messaging in Hollywood, replaced by more opportunities for diverse representation.

If there is any lesson to take away here, then it may be the fact that Indonesia has much to learn about appreciation.

Entertainment shouldn’t just be for entertainment’s sake. It is an opportunity to support a tapestry of diverse voices that in turn can inspire younger generations to take further leaps of faith, break ground and break the glass ceiling.

With Putri, we have an angelic voice who represents limitless human creativity and talent and who offers a glimpse of the future for disabled people everywhere.

Indonesia’s got talent, and we have to learn to nurture it more generously here at home.