Is Jeremy Allen White Singing in ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’?

Jeremy Allen White may not come from a musical background, but he went full rock star when transforming into The Boss for his role in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.

In the biopic, which was released in theaters on Oct. 24, White portrays a young Bruce Springsteen as he records and releases his emotional 1982 album, Nebraska. Though the Emmy-winning actor didn’t have a musical background, he was the only person director Scott Cooper considered for the lead role, per The New York Times.

“I think they thought that I could tell a complex story with quiet moments, and with physicality,” White told the outlet, noting that he was initially hesitant to take on such a music-heavy role.

White recalled telling Cooper, “‘Look, I’d love to do this with you. I love Bruce. Are you sure you don’t want a guy that knows how to do these things already?’ And then, at some point, Scott shared that Bruce wanted me to do it. And at that point I went, ‘OK, I’m not going to stand in this man’s way.’ ”

So, is Jeremy Allen White really singing in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere? Here’s everything to know about how he transformed into rock icon Bruce Springsteen and what the actor has said about his training process.

Is Jeremy Allen White really singing in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere?

Yes, White is singing as he portrays Springsteen — though the rock icon’s voice is also sometimes heard. According to The New York Times, White’s vocals are heard whenever he’s shown performing on camera, while recordings of Springsteen are woven in during other scenes.

Ahead of the movie’s release, White spoke to PEOPLE about his approach toward singing Springsteen’s music for the film, saying, “My first thing was, can I perform these songs with a little bit of honesty? Can I do justice to the lyrics?”

He continued, “Hopefully if there’s enough truth in this music, whether it sounds exactly like Bruce or not, people will connect with it.”

Meanwhile, Springsteen gave his stamp of approval on White’s skills.

“He sings very well,” he said during a January 2025 interview on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio.

Did Jeremy Allen White have any singing background before playing Bruce Springsteen?

Prior to preparing for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, White had no singing background and had “never really held a guitar,” as he told PEOPLE ahead of the movie’s release.

“I felt like I was like an alien,” White said of his first guitar lesson. “I didn’t understand where my fingers [go], how my fingers were supposed to behave. It was a very humbling start. I thought, ‘There’s no way in seven months I’m gonna be able to figure this out.’ But like anything, it was a lot of repetition.”

How did Jeremy Allen White train to sing as Bruce Springsteen?

White spent nearly seven months studying guitar and taking daily vocal lessons with Eric Vetro, who worked with Austin Butler for 2022’s Elvis and Timothée Chalamet for 2024’s A Complete Unknown, per The New York Times. Vetro’s other clients include Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Shawn Mendes.

The actor also told CBS News in October 2025 that he prepared by singing Springsteen’s songs “over and over and over again.”

But White got the green light from Springsteen to make the role his own after recording “Mansion on the Hill,” he told the Los Angeles Times in August 2025.

“Bruce listened to it and said, ‘You do sound like me. But it’s you singing the song,’ ” he recalled. “And that gave me permission, not just in recording the music, but making a film where I could tell his story but not be afraid to bring myself to it.”

What has Jeremy Allen White said about singing in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere?

During his conversation with PEOPLE ahead of the biopic’s release, White opened up about the daunting task of trying to match Springsteen’s voice — and the song that proved most challenging.

“We kind of got into trying to get closer to Bruce’s voice, but then there’s certain songs like ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ where there was nothing that could have prepared me,” White said. “I needed to shout and that took me out. I remember recording ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ and losing my voice for a couple days.”

While speaking with the Los Angeles Times, White opened up about tapping into the meaning behind the songs — something that took some help from his vocal coach.

“I was so focused on just sounding like Bruce and my coach, Eric, asks, ‘What are you singing about? What’s the story? Where’s Bruce coming from? Is he singing from his perspective? Is it about his childhood? Is he playing a character?’ ” White recalled.

He continued, “All these questions that, for an actor, should be right at the front of mind. Because I was so anxious about sounding like him, I found myself blocked by the real thing, which was: How can I just sing the song as honestly as possible?”

White also told the outlet that his favorite song of Springsteen’s to sing was “My Father’s House.”

“It seemed like a warning for me. There’s regret in it,” he said. “What I heard is a song about a young man not wanting to regret that he didn’t reach out for his father, who he had a love and connection with earlier. There was an immediacy to it, which you then see with Bruce and his father in the film.”