Loren Allred: The rising powerhouse who could be ‘Your Girl’

Jon Ali is In The Know’s music contributor. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram for more.

In need of a new diva to sweep you off your feet with her powerhouse vocals? Look no further. Loren Allred is “Your Girl.”

You might not instantly recognize Loren’s name, but you most definitely have heard her voice: The rising Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter is the stand-out voice behind “Never Enough” from the Oscar-nominated, Grammy Award-winning motion picture The Greatest Showman. You know, the song that managed to reach No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, amassed more than 500 million worldwide streams and 1.8 million album sales for the soundtrack in the U.S. Even Queen Kelly Clarkson had to give it a swing!

However, while “Never Enough” may have been Loren’s breakout moment, it certainly isn’t where her journey as a rising star began. Loren’s parents were classical musicians who helped develop her profound passion for music at an early age, with influences from divas like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Toni Braxton. She was initially discovered by a manager connected to Ne-Yo’s team when she was making videos on YouTube as a teen. This led to a contract with Def Jam Records, which served as her introduction to the music industry and, in turn, led to her competing on NBC’s season three of The Voice. The Greatest Showman followed shortly after, and the rest is basically history.

Since “Never Enough,” Loren’s gone on to duet with Michael Bublé on his album Love with “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and collaborate with Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and maestro to the stars, David Foster, as part of his PBS concert special and album, An Intimate Evening. Not too shabby, right?

But now, Loren’s looking to mark her own path with her solo music moving forward — and, judging by what she’s given us so far, it’s pretty clear that she has all the goods to have quite the pop career of her very own.

She got it right straight out of the gate over the summer with her debut single “This Summer,” an aching yet striking power ballad that found her coping with the reality of loss above an atmospheric guitar strum and a gentle electronic pulse — at first: “Last year, same time/ You were laughing with tears in your eyes/ It was still Spring, cold nights/ You’d be warming your hand in mine/ But when seasons change/ Nothing lasts,” she croons.

As the track builds and swells with more gorgeous production, Loren starts to loudly lose control: “Just close your eyes/ Pretend for awhile/ The world’s not on fire/ And we’ll be alright/ I bet we could fall in love/ This Summer,” she wails, showcasing her genuinely full-bodied chops. A solid debut, that’s for sure.

For single No. 2, she’s gone ahead and one-upped herself by showcasing her versatility yet again with “Your Girl,” a breezy, soulful R&B-leaning serenade that highlights a side of Loren’s voice that fans may not be as familiar with, but that suits her just the same.

“My second single, ‘Your Girl,’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve written thus far. It came to me at a time when I was working through a lot of heartbreak, but to help me cope I decided to put a soulful, flirty spin on what I was going through,” Loren said in a statement about the song. “I think everyone has an idea of the kind of person they want to end up with in life, and then suddenly you meet someone who doesn’t check all the boxes but the chemistry is undeniable. It makes you want to throw away all of the preconceived notions and jump in. This was a song for someone I believed was still stuck on what he wanted on paper.”

The acoustic version of “Your Girl,” which premieres exclusively on In The Know below, only brings the song to life more and, as it turns out, proves that the song holds up when sung stripped-back, too.

She’s two for two at this point. Is there no end to this? I sure hope not. Until then, Loren will be keeping us plenty fed during the Holidays with her Christmas series of releases called “Merry Christmas! LIVE @ Home,” which she recorded at her place in Brooklyn. Her rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is available now, and you can look out for her version of Wham! classic “Last Christmas,” out this Friday.

If you enjoyed this article, check out Jon Ali’s spotlight on FHAT, a rising queer duo you should be paying attention to!

More from In The Know:

Jake Paul is the internet’s antihero. Here is a list of the influencer’s biggest controversies.

16 of the best puffer coats to shop this winter

Influencers apologize for attending party amid pandemic

Subscribe to our daily newsletter to stay In The Know

The post Loren Allred: The rising powerhouse who could be ‘Your Girl’ appeared first on In The Know.