Viewers of American Idol were treated with the vocal talents of Loren Lott, and now viewers of The Young and the Restless will be able to see the California native's acting skills: she has joined the CBS soap opera in the series regular role of Ana Hamilton.
Lott, who was a finalist on Idol's 14th season back in 2015, confirms the news in a lengthy post on Instagram that shares some of her early struggles trying to make it in the entertainment industry.
"I couldn't believe it when I got the call from all of my team on the Fone. I'm so grateful," she writes of joining Y&R. "This is my 12th year in this game. I've been humbled and been ego stroked but now I just want to keep growing and keep giving all the glory to God. For all the nights I cried. For all the times I was afraid to buy something because I didn't want my money to run out. I'm so grateful. I'm joining a show with a beautiful reputation for launching the careers of so many people I love. Mine is next. This is just the beginning for me. I will keep praising Jesus and keep being patient even when it's hard, because so far so good. I took a leap of faith moving [to Los Angeles], and I'm so grateful the lord caught me."
Ana Hamilton has made sporadic appearances in Genoa City since 2008, when actress Jamia Simone Nash took on the role. An avid singer, Ana performed at Neil's (Kristoff St. John) club Indigo and then with Devon at the annual charity gala, which prompted Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne Cooper) to offer her the annual scholarship for gifted students to a Music School in New Hampshire. She later returned to Genoa City and sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" at her benefactor Katherine Chancellor's wedding to "Murph" and also sang at Lily and Cane's wedding. Ana was last seen on the canvas in 2012, when she recorded the song "Love Will Find a Way" for Devon's record label before leaving for a summer school program.
Considering both Ana and her new portrayer, Lott, have strong singing backgrounds, there's little question that Y&R fans will be getting a taste of music in the months ahead. It would seem that this was the role that Y&R had named "Mandy" in a casting call last month. In fact, with Devon's sister scheduled to return to the screen on Wednesday, November 28, there's a chance that viewers might even get to hear her sing a little Christmas music. As longtime fans of the show may recall, Ana surprised Devon and her mother Harmony back in 2011 with a beautiful performance of "O Holy Night" -- and it would be quite a gift for Lott's fans to hear her version of the Christmas classic.
Lott's résumé includes series like OWN's Greenleaf, BET's The Quad, and the web series Powers. She also recently starred on Broadway as Ti Moune in Once on This Island.
What do you think about Y&R bringing Devon's sister, Ana, back into the fold? How do you feel about the show casting Loren Lott in the role? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
