Britain's Got Talent returned on Saturday night and fans were left wowed by a recognisable voice. American singer Loren Alldred mesmerised judges with her performance of 'Never Enough' from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman, but it is certainly not the first time that she has performed the song.
American Loren may have been trying out for the show alongside other auditionees but has already had a successful career in music. In fact, the 31-year-old singer actually sang Never Enough in the box-office smash-hit movie, and has gone on to star on The Voice and duetted with the likes of Michael Bublé and Andrea Bocelli.
As she explained to the judges, while she provided the vocals, most people may not recognise her face because actress Rebecca Ferguson, playing the character Jenny Lind, mimed her vocals in the film. However, BGT viewers will be seeing plenty more of her after she was put straight through to the semi-finals.
After her audition, head judge Simon Cowell told Loren that "it was one of the most incredible audition moments" that he had ever experienced, adding: "Maybe this is your moment now". Meanwhile, her performance was also enough for her to earn Amanda Holden's golden buzzer - the first of the series. Here's everything you need to know about the show's latest star:
Who is Loren Allred?
Loren Allred is an American singer, songwriter and actress, born on September 7, 1989. The eldest daughter of three to musician parents, she attended Weber State University in Ogden where she gained a degree in musical theatre.
She later transferred to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where she uploaded YouTube videos and was discovered by singer Ne-Yo, later signing a record deal with Island Def Jam.
What has Loren Allred done prior to Britain's Got Talent?
In 2012, Loren was a contestant on the third season of the American version of The Voice and selected Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine as her coach. However, she was eliminated after the first week of the live playoffs, coming joint 13th in the competition.
In 2014, she was a member of the recording ensemble for the film musical The Greatest Showman, in which she was cast as the singing voice of Rebecca Ferguson's character, Jenny Lind. The film soundtrack and song were successful, going Platinum and the soundtrack topping the Billboard albums chart in January 2018. In that same month, "Never Enough" (Allred's featured song) reached number 88 on the Hot 100 chart.
Her vocal performance received worldwide recognition and praise, with megastars Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Nicole Scherzinger among the artists who have covered the song. In 2019, she featured on Michael Bublé's Love album for a duet of Help Me Make it Through the Night, after the Canadian artist discovered her by watching the film starring Hugh Jackman. In 2021, she also joined Andrea Bocelli for some select performances on his American tour.
The legendary tenor said of Loren: "If an artist wants to move the listener, he or she must have something intense and convincing to tell through the singing. This something comes from experiences and insight: it is the inner wealth that you can acquire by living. Loren Allred is a perfect example of this: her richly nuanced voice, her expressiveness, and her powers of communication describe and celebrate the beauty she has managed to cultivate within herself.
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