Summary

• Rebecca Ferguson didn't sing her character's big musical number in The Greatest Showman.
• Loren Allred provided the powerful vocals for "Never Enough" and gained popularity from it.
• It's not uncommon for musical films to use different actors for singing voices, and other actors in The Greatest Showman also had their singing voices provided by professionals.

Rebecca Ferguson played opera singer Jenny Lind in The Greatest Showman, surprising viewers with The Greatest Showman "Never Enough" song, but that wasn’t her singing – here’s who it really was and why. Musical films have always been popular, more so when they feature well-known actors who may or may not have musical backgrounds. The Greatest Showman was a mix of both, with Hugh Jackman in the lead (who is no stranger to musicals), Zac Efron, and Zendaya, and others who aren't exactly known for taking part in musical projects, such as Michelle Williams and Rebecca Ferguson.

The Greatest Showman tells the story of P.T. Barnum (Jackman), who becomes a worldwide sensation in show business thanks to his imagination and innovative ideas, even if he wasn’t always fully honest. Barnum meets Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, and after attending her performance, he convinces her to perform in America with him as her manager. Lind falls for Barnum, who rejects her advances, prompting her to end their professional relationship. Lind has a big musical number in The Greatest Showman “Never Enough," which became a big hit thanks to Lind’s powerful voice – and contrary to what many might think, it wasn’t Ferguson who did the singing.

Loren Allred's Backstory & The Voice History Explained

She Got Her Big Break On A Reality Show

Loren Allred comes from a family of musicians, and her big break came in 2012 when she joined The Voice season 3 and selected Adam Levine as her coach. After that, she became a member of the recording ensemble for a musical film developed by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, and after working on a couple of demos, she was chosen as the singing voice of Rebecca Ferguson for The Greatest Showman “Never Enough” song. It went viral (along with other songs), with the film's soundtrack going platinum and topping the Billboard albums chart in January 2018, thus marking Allred’s Billboard debut.

Why Rebecca Ferguson Doesn't Sing

She Actually Has A Musical Background

Although Rebecca Ferguson has a musical background, having studied various types of dance and having attended Adolf Fredrik’s Music School, she wasn’t fully confident she could pull off the singing voice. Ferguson hasn’t been shy about it, openly saying that if she messed it up, she would have been quite embarrassed. The voice in the “Never Enough” song is that of Loren Allred, known for being on Adam Levine’s team in The Voice. Allred has also spoken about her experience in The Greatest Showman, telling DeseretNews that her collaboration with Ferguson was “a perfect match” as “no one could have played that role as well as Rebecca did.”

The Other Movies Loren Allred Lent Her Voice To

Loren Allred has had some other musical experience outside of singing The Greatest Showman "Never Enough" song. After appearing on The Voice, she also had a run on the popular show Britain's Got Talent in 2022. She also lent her voice to several television specials, including the PBS 4th of July anniversary broadcast, A Capitol Fourth. Another major television special she appeared in was the 2018 Oscars, for which she sang in the choir for "This is Me." Finally, Loren Allred sang in the ensemble choir for the movie Dear Evan Hansen back in 2021. Hopefully, audiences will continue to enjoy Allred's extraordinary talent as she continues her singing career.

It’s not uncommon for musical films to use different actors to do the singing voices (a popular example is Zac Efron in the first High School Musical film, though he later worked on that and was able to do his own singing in the subsequent films and in The Greatest Showman), as not all have been musically trained, don’t have the skills, or simply aren’t confident they can pull it off. Horror movie actress Rebecca Ferguson has been quite honest about it and praised Loren Allred’s work, which speaks volumes about her and Allred as well.

Rebecca Ferguson Isn't The Only Greatest Showman Actor Who Doesn't Sing

One Of The Film's First Songs Has A Different Singer

The Greatest Showman "Never Enough" song wasn't the only one sung by a professional singer, rather than the actors themselves. A young P.T. Barnum is played by actor Ellis Rubin (The Last O.G.), he and a young Charity, played by Skylar Dunn (Orange is the New Black), sing the song "A Million Dreams," however, it isn't Rubin singing. Rubin's singing voice was provided by Ziv Zaifman. Zaifman is not only a singer, but he has a few acting credits to his name as well. Outside of lending his voice for The Greatest Showman soundtrack, he has credits in the cast of The Blacklist, To Dust, and Search Party.