Millions of people have heard Loren Allred's voice. The former Utahn provided the powerful vocals behind the hit song “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman.”
But as Allred confirmed when she took part in the 2022 season of Britain's Got Talent, few know her face.
That's because it was “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” star Rebecca Ferguson, who starred in the film alongside Hugh Jackman and lip-synched to Allred's vocals in the powerful ballad, the Deseret News previously reported.
“You sang one of the greatest songs of all time,” “Britain's Got Talent” judge Simon Cowell told Allred, who grew up in Utah and graduated from Cottonwood High School. “Why didn’t you make the big deal after the song?”
“I felt more comfortable singing behind the scenes,” Allred replied during the audition, which has been viewed 64 million times on YouTube. “But I feel like the song was meant for me, and I'm kind of ready to put a face to the song. That’s why I’m here to do this.”
Now, a year and a half after making it to the Britain's Got Talent final, Allred is taking part in the Got Talent series again.
This time she's aiming for a win.
Loren Allred competes in America's Got Talent: Fantasy League
Allred is competing on “AGT: Fantasy League,” where the show's four judges — Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel — have each assembled their dream team over the years, consisting of 10 acts from “AGT.” Allred was selected for Cowell's team and made her Fantasy League debut on Monday night.
In her casting clip, which has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube, the Brooklyn-based singer recalled how, as a 24-year-old waitress, she met the songwriters from “The Greatest Showman,” who invited her to come along and sing the demo for “Never Enough.”
“I was so excited to have my voice in the film,” Allred said in her casting clip, which airs Monday night on NBC. “I was so proud because people heard my voice and it was something I dreamed of.”
According to the Deseret News, Allred gets full credit for the soundtrack to “The Greatest Showman.” And the singer said Ferguson was “so gracious and vocal when it comes to praising (her) work.”
But over the years, Allred realized that very few people knew she was the voice behind “Never Enough” — and she wanted that to change. So she started competing on Britain's Got Talent, which she said was the “scariest thing” for her. In her first appearance on the show, she received a coveted Golden Buzzer and immediately advanced to the show's semifinals, Deseret News reported.
“It just felt so validating,” Allred said with emotion. “It really was a dream come true.”
Allred performed “Never Enough” again, but brought an updated version to the “AGT: Fantasy League” stage. The 34-year-old singer said she wants to be on Broadway and release her own albums and hopes this new take will help her get there.
Based on the reactions of the show's judges and audience, Allred is heading in the right direction.
“I mean, how lucky are we all to be able to witness this live right in front of our eyes,” Klum said. “It was just beautiful.”
“That was really spectacular,” Cowell added, noting that he thought Allred deserved a big break. “And to have that moment almost taken away from you and for no one to know that it was you and now to have the courage to come back on this show and tell America, 'This is me,' is very special.”
Allred was one of five acts from Monday night's episode to make it to the semifinals, where a total of 20 acts will compete for a spot in the finale. Other acts advancing Monday night included:
- Hart Chapel.
- Enkh-Erdene.
- Pack drum line.
- Yu Hojin.
Sofie Dossi received a golden buzzer and went straight to the final.
The ten best acts will compete against each other in the final on February 12th. The winner will receive a grand prize of $250,000 on February 19th.
More about Loren Allred
Allred is no stranger to reality competition shows. In addition to “BGT” and “Fantasy League,” the singer appeared on “The Voice” in 2012 and was hired by coach Adam Levine. According to the Deseret News, she described her time on that show as “mentally taxing.”
“It was an amazing experience, but for an introverted person, it was… just a lot of anxiety the whole time,” Allred said, adding that producers told her she wasn't acting lively enough or didn't think she was capable of doing so person fit had in mind for her.
“BGT” was a different story.
“Being on 'Britain's Got Talent' and seeing the response just after my audition was just a complete change and a complete difference compared to ten years ago on 'The Voice'. “And it's really positive,” said Allred previously told the Radio Times.
In 2019, Allred recorded a duet with Michael Buble and performed on select dates during Andrea Bocelli's 2021 North American tour, the Deseret News reported. Following the success of her “BGT” run, Allred released her single “Last Thing I'll Ever Need.”