Allegra Miles talks about her new song and her Idol audition

American Idol

Allegra Miles talks about her new song and her Idol audition

March 12, 2022 By Mark Franklin 0

Allegra Miles auditions on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Allegra Miles was back on television Sunday night, just two years after finishing in the Top 9 on The Voice.

She was lured back to a televised singing competition by a simple fact.

On American Idol, she could sing originals, something she never got a chance to do on The Voice.

In fact, Allegra auditioned with an original called “Tainted” and released the song two days before her Idol segment aired.

While only part of her audition was shown, the Idol judges clearly loved it, unanimously agreeing to send Allegra to Hollywood and the next phase of the competition.

Here’s what Allegra told Idol Chatter about her audition and her artistry.

Idol Chatter: How did you wind up auditioning for Season 20 and what made you decide this year would be a good time to do so?

Allegra: A couple of the show’s producers reached out to me via Instagram and asked me to audition. I shortly learned that you can perform original songs on the show, which I didn’t know til then.

That was a big factor that made me want to be a part of the show — the fact that they’re supportive of songwriters is really cool to me, and what an incredible opportunity it is to be able to perform something you wrote on this platform.

Songwriting, honestly more than singing, has really been my focus and the core part of my artistry and who I am. With that, I felt as though I would be able to authentically share who I am on this show, and thought the 20th season is a cool time to do that.

Idol Chatter: Can you tell me a bit about the story behind your original song “Tainted”? And why did you decide to sing it for your audition?

Allegra: Every word of “Tainted” is wholeheartedly true and describes a real-life traumatic experience in my life. It’s about someone who broke me to my core, and dehumanized me through and through. Something that was once beautiful, became entirely “tainted” after what happened.

This person was really good at manipulating me, so I couldn’t see what was happening in the moment. Because of this, it consumed the majority of my life for so long, and I unknowingly started living “through” this person, losing myself along the way.

Even after I cut myself off from them, I still was reliving the entire experience, and I could not escape from it for many, many months. Music has always been my therapy and has gotten me through everything in my life, and was especially helpful in this instance.

I wrote so many songs about it to release how I felt, and “Tainted”, more so than any other song I’ve written, perfectly articulates lyrically and musically, what I wanted and needed to say. I decided to sing it for my audition because it’s so authentic to who I am, and I wanted to share that part of myself on this platform. It was really important to me to do an original for the audition, and this was the one that felt right.

Idol Chatter: What was the Idol audition process like compared to what you expected?

Allegra: The initial zoom audition, before the judges auditions, were honestly really quick and to the point. I would have thought it would take longer. I had the initial zoom audition, then the callback the next day, and that’s when they told me I was going to sing in front of the judges.

I really didn’t know what to expect for the in-person judge audition, but it was a really cool experience. There was a lot of “hurry up and wait” which I know is standard in the TV world, but I felt as though I had enough time to prepare and be ready for the audition.

Idol Chatter: And how do you feel you’ve changed as an artist over the past few years?

Allegra: I’ve changed a lot as a human over the past few years, which I think directly impacts who I am as an artist, and vice versa. I’ve had a lot of challenges I’ve overcome in my life that have changed my world view and perspective on life — as well as the depth of my writing.

I am able to more fully express how I feel through my music now, and I’m really grateful for that. I feel like I’ve also become much more predominantly a songwriter in the past few years as well — it’s become the central part of my artistry and what I do.

Musically, I think my sound has gotten more soulful, and I know who I am as an artist a lot better now. I continue to be inspired by so many different types of music and they all impact the music I make.

Editor’s Note: “Tainted” isn’t Allegra’s only release since The Voice. For more already released music from Season 20 contestants on American Idol, check out the artist profiles below.