In part echoing all-time greats such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, New York-based singer Loren Allred was not a widely known name until springtime this year, when her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent in April completely transformed that in what seemed like a few minutes. 

Performing Never Enough to Simon Cowell’s full satisfaction is a hard nut to crack for the best singers, but it wasn’t for Allred. Many listeners will have heard the singer’s voice before, however.  At the start of 2018, it was heard on the soundtrack for Hugh Jackman’s The Greatest Showman, when the film topped box offices across the world. Those who watched the film would have seen actress Rebecca Ferguson perform the song to Allred’s vocals. 

Following her mesmerising vocal delivery on Help Me Make It Through the Night, the title of the duet she performed with Michael Bublé, she continues to make her mark on popular music. The combined magnitude of the three events has been a defining factor in kicking off the music career for the American, who continues to rack up the stats by the volume, while amassing an ever-growing, expansive fanbase.

1883 sat down with Allred to discuss Britain’s Got Talent, collaborating with Michael Bublé, and what fans can expect next.

Where are you right now, and what have you been up to in the last week or two?

I’m in Nashville, Tennessee writing some new songs! It’s my first time here and I’ve been able to work with some incredible people. Really excited about a couple new songs in particular!

Britain’s Got Talent: you will have had a chance to digest your experience of the competition. How would you describe it? You did well there, what did you learn from it all? What’s it like to know you impressed Simon Cowell?

It felt like a whirlwind of chaos and excitement. I learned that taking risks really does pay off. I gained such valuable feedback from the judges, especially Simon, who I felt was rooting for me through it all!

You collaborated with Michael Bublé. How would you describe the relationship, what’s it like to be in the studio with him? What have you gained or learned from the work you did together?

Michael Bublé found me after doing some digging into the credits of The Greatest Showman and called me to ask if I could sing a duet with him on his album “Love”. He treated me like a big brother and even cried with me on the phone to my mom when I showed her the first listen. He is an angel and the experience is one of my favourite music memories!

You’re from Brooklyn/New York, what influences do you take from there? In what way did it shape you and/or your career path?

I’ve lived in New York for the past 12 years, but have also lived in many different states within the US. I think that growing up in many different environments has helped me in terms of my singing and songwriting. Many times I’ve had to be a chameleon with my voice and I can attribute that to experiencing a lot of diverse environments.

Vocally, who do you take inspiration from, and how did you go about developing your voice in order to get it to where it is now? Who is your favourite artist or band of all time?

My number one influence is Mariah Carey. My parents are classical music teachers, so I was lucky to have that influence around as I was a child. But the moment I heard Mariah Carey I knew that that’s what I wanted to do. I kept singing along with her until I found my own voice!

Tell me about some of your early, most memorable music moments? Were your parents supportive right from the beginning? How did things develop from that point?

As a child, I remember my mom singing with me at bedtime and teaching me and my younger sisters how to harmonize. My parents always made sure that music was a big part of our lives growing up and although they were hesitant with me entering into more contemporary style music, they’ve come around and are happy and proud of me now.

You have remarkable social media and streaming numbers, how much does this matter to you? How do you go about building relationships with fans and supporters of your music? Do you engage with them in direct ways?

I’m incredibly grateful for the success of “Never Enough” and even more grateful for the light that BGT has been able to shine on my own music. I write songs from my personal experiences and I love seeing that they connect to people who follow me. I always try to answer comments and messages and wait outside my shows to talk to the people who come out to see me.

How do you write songs? If you can, please tell me about a song you’ve written, the process and theme behind it. Are you hoping to focus your career more in that direction?

I’m always jotting down concept ideas in my Notes app on my phone. I feel like it’s always important to capture a good idea the moment it comes! For example, I feel like great melody ideas always come to me in the shower which leads me to try and record them on my phone with wet hands, (which I don’t recommend-haha) then bringing those ideas into the studio and working on them from there with my friend and producer Michel Heyaca.

The future – tell me about your plans?

A lot of people have asked me if I’ll be releasing my version of the song I sang in the semi-final called You Say by Lauren Daigle, so I’m gearing up to release that in October. I’ll also be back in the UK for select dates with Andrea Bocelli this month. Other than that, I have a handful of songs for my next project coming up soon.

Loren’s latest single Last Thing I’ll Ever Need is out now. Follow Loren Allred @lorenallred

Interview by Susan Hansen

Photography by Savanna Ruedy