Before Toni Lorene even made it on “The Voice,” a competition show that can give singers some much-desired exposure in the music industry, millions of people had already heard her voice.
But the majority of those people were toddlers and preschool-aged kids.
Lorene, a 28-year-old singer from Houston, Texas, has done work as a voice actor for the wildly popular children’s show “CoComelon‚“ a YouTube channel turned Netflix sensation that features nursery rhymes and songs. The series was the No. 2 most-watched Netflix program in 2024, behind “Bridgerton,” per The Los Angeles Times.
Now, taking a new step in her career, the singer is showcasing herself on TV.
Lorene is a competitor on Season 28 of “The Voice,” and she’s stunning the coaches more and more with each performance — including her most recent performance during the Knockout round Monday night.
Toni Lorene advances past ‘The Voice’ Knockout round
Lorene’s energetic performance of Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” had all of the coaches in awe Monday night.
“You’re just a machine,” “Voice” coach Niall Horan said. “There’s stuff you can do with your voice — there’s something special about you.”
Snoop Dogg, Lorene’s coach in the competition, didn’t seem to hesitate when he picked Lorene to advance to the next round over contestant Natalia Albertini.
“That was a great Knockout performance. What I love about Toni is her spirit and her confidence,” he said after declaring Lorene the winner. “You can’t teach that. That’s got to be within you. I’m excited to see what she’s going to do in the next round.”
Toni Lorene’s run on ‘The Voice’
Lorene auditioned for the show with Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You,” and had the attention of all the coaches except for Michael Bublé — who seemed to instantly regret not throwing his hat in the ring after the song concluded.
“I don’t know why I didn’t turn!” Buble said.
Country music legend Reba McEntire praised Lorene’s range and style, while Horan said she was “an incredible singer.”
“I just love your confidence, you exude it,” the former One Direction star said. “You absolutely nailed that.”
But Lorene ultimately chose to go with Snoop Dogg, who said he would work hard to help her find songs that were a good fit for her style and voice throughout the competition.
During the Battle round of the competition, Lorene competed against Utah singer Sadie Dahl with a performance of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain.”
“‘Voice’ fans all across America, you just witnessed something very, very special,” Horan said after the performance, noting that some of the technique in Lorene’s voice was “just bonkers.”
After some deliberation, Snoop Dogg selected Lorene to advance to the Knockouts, praising her “star power.”
“Rightfully so,” Dahl told the Deseret News of Lorene winning the Battle round. “She killed that. I genuinely feel that she deserved that win.”
Who does ‘The Voice’ singer Toni Lorene play on ‘CoComelon’?
Lorene has voiced the role of Cody’s mom on “CoComelon.”
She was inspired to try out for “The Voice” after performing on a cruise ship for six months and getting to sing different genres, she told the entertainment site Deepest Dream.
“‘The Voice’ pushed me in the direction of feeling like, ‘OK, people actually want to just hear my voice,’” Lorene said. “I was used to singing in musical theater. (I was) playing a role and not being my true self. I didn’t think that people would want to hear my voice for what it was on its own. Now that I have this different platform and have been a little successful, it’s started the gears working. In the next few months to a year, you should be seeing some EPs and (me) working on music.”