Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer
who came to international attention when she
appeared as a contestant on the TV programme
Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing
"I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables.
Her first album was released in November 2009
and debuted as the number one best-selling
album on charts around the globe.
Boyle's initial appearance on the talent show
fired public imagination when her modest stage
introduction and thick speaking accent left
audience, viewers and judges alike unprepared
for the power and expression of her mezzo-soprano
voice. Before she had finished the song's
opening phrase a standing ovation for Boyle
had erupted. An international media and Internet
response coincided. Within nine days of the
audition, videos of Boyle—from the show,
various interviews and her 1999 rendition
of "Cry Me a River"—had been watched over
100 million times. She eventually finished
in second place on the show behind dance troupe
Diversity.
Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, instantly
became the UK's best-selling debut album of
all time, beating the previous record held
by Spirit by Leona Lewis. I Dreamed a Dream
is ranked fourth in its first week sales according
to the Official Chart Company in the United
Kingdom. In her first year of fame, Boyle
made £5 million with the release of I Dreamed
a Dream and its lead-off singles, "I Dreamed
a Dream" and "Wild Horses". The success was
continued with her second album, The Gift,
and was followed by Boyle's third album, Someone
to Watch Over Me, released on 31 October 2011.
On 12 May 2012, Susan returned to Britain's
Got Talent to perform as a guest in the final
singing "You'll See". The following day, she
performed at Windsor Castle for the Queen's
Diamond Jubilee Pageant singing "Mull of Kintyre".
In November 2012, Boyle performed with her
idol Donny Osmond in Las Vegas, singing "This
is the Moment", a duet from her most recent
album Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs
From the Stage. Boyle wowed the crowds on
her first Susan Boyle in Concert solo tour
in July 2013 with 7 concert dates in Scotland.
She hopes to take her tour global in 2014.
Boyle's net worth was estimated at £22 million
in April 2012. As of 2013, Boyle had sold
over 19 million albums worldwide and received
two Grammy Awards nominations.
Life and career
Early life and childhood
Boyle was raised in Blackburn, West Lothian,
Scotland. Her father, Patrick Boyle, was a
miner and veteran of the Second World War
who also worked as a singer at the Bishop's
Blaize; her mother Bridget was a shorthand
typist. Both her parents were born in Motherwell,
Scotland, but have a family link to County
Donegal, Ireland. Boyle was the youngest of
four brothers and five sisters. She was raised
thinking that she had been briefly deprived
of oxygen during a difficult birth resulting
in a learning disability. She has, however,
recently been told she was misdiagnosed and
instead has Aspergers Syndrome with an IQ
"above average". Boyle says she was bullied
as a child, and was nicknamed "Susie Simple"
at school.
After leaving school with few qualifications,
she was employed for the only time in her
life as a trainee cook in the kitchen of West
Lothian College for six months, took part
in government training programmes, and performed
at local venues.
Early musical training and career
Boyle took singing lessons from vocal coach
Fred O'Neil. She attended Edinburgh Acting
School and took part in the Edinburgh Fringe.
Prior to Britain's Got Talent, her main experience
had come from singing in her local Catholic
church, Our Lady of Lourdes; in local choirs;
and in karaoke performances at pubs in and
around her village. She had also auditioned
several times for My Kind of People. She also
long participated in her parish church's pilgrimages
to the Knock Shrine, County Mayo, Ireland,
and sang there at the Marian basilica.
Her repertoire through the years has included
songs such as "The Way We Were" and "I Don't
Know How to Love Him." British tabloids claimed
"exclusives" of video clips of some early
performances. In 1995 her audition for Michael
Barrymore's My Kind of People at the Olympia
Shopping Centre in East Kilbride was filmed –
the amateur video shows Barrymore was more
interested in mocking her than in her ability
to sing.
In 1999, she submitted a track for a charity
CD to commemorate the Millennium produced
at a West Lothian school. Only 1,000 copies
of the CD, Music for a Millennium Celebration,
Sounds of West Lothian, were pressed. An early
review in the West Lothian Herald & Post said
Boyle's rendition of "Cry Me a River" was
"heartbreaking" and "had been on repeat in
my CD player ever since I got this CD..."
The recording found its way onto the internet
following her first televised appearance and
the New York Post said it showed that Boyle
was "not a one-trick pony." Hello! said the
recording "cement[ed] her status" as a singing
star.
In 1998, Boyle recorded three tracks—"Cry
Me A River", "Killing Me Softly", and "Don't
Cry for Me Argentina"—at Heartbeat Studio,
Midlothian. She used all her savings to pay
for a professionally cut demo, copies of which
she later sent to record companies, radio
talent competitions, local and national TV.
The demo consisted of her versions of "Cry
Me a River" and "Killing Me Softly with His
Song"; the songs were uploaded to the Internet
after her BGT audition.
After Boyle won several local singing competitions,
her mother urged her to enter Britain's Got
Talent and take the risk of singing in front
of an audience larger than her parish church.
Former coach O'Neil said Boyle abandoned an
audition for The X Factor because she believed
people were being chosen for their looks.
She almost abandoned her plan to enter Britain's
Got Talent believing she was too old, but
O'Neil persuaded her to audition nevertheless.
Boyle said that she was motivated to seek
a musical career to pay tribute to her mother.
Her performance on the show was the first
time she had sung in public since her mother
died.
Britain's Got Talent
In August 2008, Boyle applied for an audition
for the third series of Britain's Got Talent
and was accepted after a preliminary audition
in Glasgow. When Boyle first appeared on Britain's
Got Talent at the city's Clyde Auditorium,
she said that she aspired to become a professional
singer "as successful as Elaine Paige". Boyle
sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables
in the first round of the third series of
Britain's Got Talent, which was watched by
over 10 million viewers when it aired on
11 April 2009. Programme judge Amanda Holden
remarked upon the audience's initially cynical
attitude, and the subsequent "biggest wake-up
call ever" upon hearing her performance.
This performance was widely reported and tens
of millions of people viewed the video on
YouTube. Boyle was "absolutely gobsmacked"
by the strength of this reaction. Since the
appearance, Paige has expressed interest in
singing a duet with Boyle, and has called
her "a role model for everyone who has a dream".
Boyle's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" has
been credited with causing a surge in ticket
sales in the Vancouver production of Les Misérables.
Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of the Les
Misérables musical, also praised the performance,
as "heart-touching, thrilling and uplifting".
Jennifer Byrne, an 18-year-old Glasgow girl
who was filmed rolling her eyes at Boyle before
she sang, was subjected to an aggressive hate
campaign, receiving "horrible" online threats
from around the world. She defended herself
by saying that her reaction reflected the
initial perception of most of the audience.
Boyle was one of 40 acts that were put through
to the semi-finals. She appeared last on the
first semi-final on 24 May 2009, performing
"Memory" from the musical Cats. In the public
vote she was the act to receive the highest
number of votes and go through to the final.
She was the clear favourite to win the final,
but ended up in second place to dance troupe
Diversity; the UK TV audience was a record
of 17.3 million viewers.
The Press Complaints Commission became concerned
by press reports about Boyle's erratic behaviour
and speculation about her mental condition
and wrote to remind editors about clause 3
of their code of press conduct. The day after
the final, Boyle was admitted to The Priory,
a private psychiatric clinic in London, Talkback
Thames explained "Following Saturday night's
show, Susan is exhausted and emotionally drained."
Her stay in hospital attracted widespread
attention, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown
wishing her well. Cowell offered to waive
Boyle's contractual obligation to take part
in the BGT tour. Her family said "she's been
battered non-stop for the last seven weeks
and it has taken its toll [...but...] her
dream is very much alive," as she had been
invited to the Independence Day celebrations
at the White House.
Boyle left the clinic three days after her
admission and said she would participate in
the BGT tour. Despite health worries, she
appeared in 20 of the 24 dates of the tour,
and was well received in cities such as Aberdeen,
Edinburgh, Dublin, Sheffield, Coventry, Birmingham
and London. The Belfast Telegraph stated that
"Despite reports of crumbling under the pressure...,
she exuded a confidence resembling that of
a veteran who has been performing for years".
I Dreamed a Dream and tour
Boyle's first album, I Dreamed a Dream, was
released on 23 November 2009. The album includes
covers of "Wild Horses" and "You'll See" as
well as "I Dreamed a Dream", and "Cry Me a
River". I Dreamed a Dream became Amazon.com's
best-selling album in pre-sales on 4 September
2009, nearly three months before the scheduled
release. In Britain, Boyle's debut album was
recognised as the fastest selling UK debut
album of all time selling 411,820 copies,
beating the previous fastest selling debut
of all time, Spirit by Leona Lewis. I Dreamed
a Dream also outsold the rest of the top 5
albums combined in its first week.
In the U.S., the album sold 701,000 copies
in its first week, the best opening week for
a debut artist in over a decade. It topped
the Billboard chart for six straight weeks
and although it narrowly failed to become
the best-selling album of 2009, with sales
of 3,104,000 compared to 3,217,000 for Taylor
Swift's Fearless, it was one of only two albums
to sell over 3 million copies in the U.S.,
and was also the top selling "physical" album
of 2009, with only 86,000 of its sales coming
from digital downloads. This has in turn garnered
more media attention, as mentioned by People
magazine.
In Italy, it was the first album of the month
in the Italian No. 1 Account by a non-Italian
artist ever. In only a week, it sold more
than 2 million copies worldwide, becoming
the fastest selling global female debut album.
Boyle gave a U.S. promotional tour in November
as a lead-up to the album release. On 13 December
2009 she appeared in her own television special
"I Dreamed a Dream: the Susan Boyle Story",
featuring a duet with Elaine Paige. It got
ratings of 10 million viewers in the United
Kingdom and in America was the TV Guide Network's
highest rated television special in its history.
In November 2009 it was reported that Boyle's
rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" would be
the theme song of the anime movie Eagle Talon
The Movie 3 which was later released in Japan
on 16 January 2010. Boyle performed for Pope
Benedict XVI on his tour of Britain in 2010.
In May 2010, Susan Boyle was voted by Time
magazine as the seventh most influential person
in the world.
The Gift
On 9 July 2010, Boyle announced that her second
album would be a Christmas album entitled
The Gift. As part of the lead-up to the album,
she held a competition called Susan's Search,
the winner of which sang a duet with her on
her new CD. The album was released on 8 November
2010.
The album was produced by Steve Mac, who said
that "Now Susan's used to the studio and the
recording process, this time round we might
go even further down a traditional route of
recording by getting a band together and rehearsing
songs before we go into the studio to see
what works, how she reacts with certain parts,
and so we can change the arrangements that
way. I think that’s going to work much better....With
Susan it’s very important she connects with
the public and the public connect with her.
She doesn’t want to sing anything that hasn’t
happened to her or she can’t relate to."
Boyle has suggested the album will include
some jazz numbers now she's "a bit more content"
within herself. "My next album has to have
an element of surprise in it again. I'm hoping
to make it better and a bit extra special."
In November 2010, Boyle became one of only
three acts ever to top both the UK and US
album charts twice in the same year. On 30
November 2010, in the United States, Boyle
performed on ABC's The View singing "O Holy
Night" and then on NBC's Christmas at Rockefeller
Center program performing "Perfect Day" and
"Away in a Manger". During her appearance
on The View she was unable to finish her song,
stating that she had a "frog in her throat";
she wanted to start the song over but was
not allowed to. The audience applauded her
anyway and she later performed an unaired
version of the song which was uploaded to
The View's YouTube account.
Someone to Watch Over Me
Emeli Sandé was reported to have written
a song for Boyle's third studio album, which
was released on 31 October 2011. Boyle performed
on the second semi-final results show of the
sixth season of America's Got Talent, which
aired on 31 August 2011.
Boyle made her first appearance in Australia,
on X Factor Australia, on 8 November 2011
and sang "Autumn Leaves".
Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from
the Stage
Boyle released her fourth album Standing Ovation:
The Greatest Songs from the Stage in November
2012. She reportedly took piano lessons as
she planned on playing it for the album. A
reporter told The Sun "Susan loves the piano
and always dreamed of being able to reach
a standard which would allow her to play on
stage and on her albums." In two of the songs,
she collaborates with Donny Osmond.
Acting debut and Home for Christmas
Boyle will be making her first appearance
in acting as Eleanor Hopewell in The Christmas
Candle. The film is based on a book written
by author Max Lucado about a 19th-century
village of simple people in the English Cotswolds
in need of a miracle. The film will be released
on 22 November 2013 in the U.S. and 29 November
2013 in the U.K. Talking about her first acting
role Susan Boyle said: “I can’t believe
I’m making a film. I’m very excited to
be a part of The Christmas Candle. Everyone
on set is a delight to work with and it’s
a fantastic experience to be part of the team."
In the movie Boyle sings an original song,
"Miracle Hymn", the anthem for the film and
a track from her new album Home for Christmas,
which will also feature a duet with Elvis
Presley singing "O Come All Ye Faithful".
The album is expected for release on 29 October
2013 in the U.S. Previously in television,
Boyle starred as herself in I Dreamed a Dream:
The Susan Boyle Story and in a 2011 documentary
titled Susan Boyle: An Unlikely Superstar.
Media impact
Websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
have been crucial in facilitating Boyle's
rapid rise to fame: The most popular YouTube
video submission of her audition garnered
nearly 2.5 million views in the first 72
hours. On the day following the performance,
the YouTube video was the most popular article
on Digg and made the front page of Reddit.
Within a week, the audition performance had
been viewed more than 66 million times, setting
an online record, while on Wikipedia her biographical
article attracted nearly half a million page
views. A total of 103 million video views
on 20 different Web sites was reached within
nine days. The Los Angeles Times wrote that
her popularity on YouTube may in part be due
to the broad range of emotion packed into
a short clip which was "perfect for the Internet".
In December 2009, her audition was named the
most watched YouTube video of the year with
over 120 million viewings, more than three
times higher than the second most popular
video.
Additionally, Boyle’s first on camera interview
with Scots journalist Richard Mooney for her
local newspaper the West Lothian Courier,
was named as YouTube’s Most Memorable Video
of 2009. The video went viral after being
uploaded to YouTube on 14 April 2009.
Many newspapers around the world carried articles
on Boyle's performance. British tabloid The
Sun gave her the nickname "Paula Potts" in
reference to the first series' winner Paul
Potts. Later, the British press took to referring
to her by a short-form of her name, 'SuBo'.
In the U.S., several commentators also drew
parallels between Boyle's performance and
that of Potts. ABC News hailed "Britain's
newest pop sensation", and its Entertainment
section headlined Boyle as "The Woman Who
Shut Up Simon Cowell".
Within the week following her performance
on Britain's Got Talent, Boyle was a guest
on STV's The Five Thirty Show. She was interviewed
via satellite on CBS's The Early Show, Good
Morning America, NBC's Today, FOX's America's
Newsroom. and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Via
satellite on Larry King Live, Boyle performed
an a cappella verse of "My Heart Will Go On".
She was also portrayed in drag by Jay Leno,
who joked that they were related through his
mother's Scottish heritage.
At the invitation of NHK, a major Japanese
broadcaster, Boyle appeared as a guest singer
for the 2009 edition of Kōhaku Uta Gassen,
annual songfest on 31 December in Tokyo. She
was introduced as the ōen kashu by the MCs
and appeared on the stage escorted by Takuya
Kimura, and sang "I Dreamed a Dream".
Although Boyle was not eligible for the 2010
Grammy Awards, its host Stephen Colbert paid
tribute to Boyle at the ceremony, telling
its audience "you may be the coolest people
in the world, but this year your industry
was saved by a 48-year-old Scottish cat lady
in sensible shoes." There was also earlier
controversy, when Boyle was not nominated
in any of the categories for the 2010 Brit
Awards.
Stage musical
A stage musical of Boyle's life was originally
planned with Boyle appearing as herself. She
said she hated "having to sit watching people
up there" who are actors. However it was later
decided that actress Elaine C. Smith would
portray her and Boyle would join the cast
of I Dreamed a Dream for a cameo appearance.
I Dreamed a Dream opened on 27 March 2012
with fans from all over the world occupying
the Theatre Royal, Newcastle for the opening
week. The musical received generally warm
reviews. The musical toured the UK and Ireland
in 2012.
Boyle said she was initially upset by the
show, because she was "not used to it". She
called it "surreal", but later changed her
mind and found it "clever and amusing".
Fox Searchlight have bought life rights to
Susan Boyle along with rights to the musical
I Dreamed a Dream. They plan to develop a
film version of the musical.
Social analyses
Judging by appearance
The Huffington Post noted that the producers
of the show would have anticipated the potential
of this story arc, by deliberately presenting
Boyle in a manner that would enhance this
initial reaction. The Herald described Boyle's
story as a modern parable and a rebuke to
people's tendency to judge others based on
their physical appearance. Similarly, Entertainment
Weekly said that Boyle's performance was a
victory for talent and artistry in a culture
obsessed with physical attractiveness and
presentation.
The Washington Post believed that her initial
demeanour and homely appearance caused the
judges and audience to be "waiting for her
to squawk like a duck". New York's Daily News
said that an underdog being ridiculed or humiliated
but then enjoying an unexpected triumph is
a common trope in literature, and the stark
contrast between the audience's low expectations
and the quality of her singing made Boyle's
performance such an engaging piece of television.
Feminist view
R.M. Campbell, music critic for The Gathering
Note, compared her to Ella Fitzgerald, in
that "[... it is] really, really hard to make
a career if a woman isn't attractive." In
another Huffington Post article, Letty Cottin
Pogrebin wrote that although people may "weep
for the years of wasted talent", Boyle's performance
was a triumph for "women of a certain age"
over a youth culture that often dismisses
middle-aged women. Tanya Gold wrote in The
Guardian that the difference between Boyle's
hostile reception and the more neutral response
to Paul Potts in his first audition reflected
society's expectation that women be both good-looking
and talented, with no such expectation existing
for men. Los Angeles vocal coach Eric Vetro
stated, "She's an Everywoman as opposed to
an untouchable fantasy goddess, so maybe that's
why people react to her."
American Dream
Several media sources have commented that
Boyle's success seemed to have particular
resonance in the United States. An American
entertainment correspondent was quoted in
The Scotsman comparing Boyle's story to the
American Dream, as representing talent overcoming
adversity and poverty. The Associated Press
described this as Boyle's "hardscrabble story",
dwelling on her modest lifestyle and what
they characterised as urban deprivation in
her home town. Similarly, The Independent's
New York correspondent David Usborne wrote
that the United States will always respond
to "the fairy tale where the apparently unprepossessing
suddenly becomes pretty, from Shrek to My
Fair Lady".
Personal life
Boyle still lives in the family home, a four-bedroom
council house in Blackburn which she purchased
from her earnings in 2010. Her father died
in the 1990s, and her siblings had left home.
Boyle never married, and she dedicated herself
to care for her ageing mother until her death
in 2007 at the age of 91. A neighbour reported
that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter
"wouldn't come out for three or four days
or answer the door or phone." Boyle is a practising
Roman Catholic and sang in her church choir
at her church in Blackburn. Boyle remains
active as a volunteer at her church, visiting
elderly members of the congregation in their
homes. On a 2010 episode of The Oprah Winfrey
Show, Boyle summarised that her daily life
was "mundane" and "routine" prior to stardom.
Boyle has purchased a £300,000 house but
also plans to keep the council house where
she grew up.
In 2012, Boyle was diagnosed with Asperger
syndrome. She made her diagnosis public in
a BBC interview in December 2013.
In November 2012, when asked if she had tried
to find love through Internet dating, Boyle
said she was too scared, saying: "Knowing
my luck I'd go out on a date and you'd find
my limbs scattered around various Blackburn
dustbins!"
In July 2013, Susan Boyle endorsed the Better
Together campaign to keep Scotland as part
of the United Kingdom in the 2014 independence
referendum. In so doing, she stated, "I am
a proud, patriotic Scot, passionate about
my heritage and my country. But I am not a
nationalist", going on to say, "We have still
been able to retain our proud identity whilst
being a part of Britain."
Philanthropy
Charity performances
On 26 January 2010 Susan Boyle sang together
with other major artists on the charity recording
"Everybody Hurts" put together by Simon Cowell
for Haiti Relief for the victims of the Haiti
earthquake.
On 30 January 2010 Susan performed at the
Indsamling Charity Gala, a telethon for Haiti
and Africa held at the Tivoli Concert Hall
in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Susan Boyle has also appeared on major U.K.
telethons. On 19 March 2010 she sang for the
Sports Relief Charity on BBC1 and she has
performed for BBC Children in Need telethon
three times thus far: on 19 November 2010;
on18 November 2011, and on 16 November 2012.
On 10 November 2010 Susan Boyle performed
at the Pride of Britain Awards and on 16 December
2010 at the Royal Variety Performance.
On 18 March 2011 Susan sang a duet of "I Know
Him So Well" with Peter Kay on Comic Relief;
in addition to the television performance,
the duet was sold on CD, DVD, and MP3 download
to raise more money for charity. The CD was
#21 on the all-time Comic Relief CDs sold.
On 19 March 2011 in Glasgow at the Scottish
Variety Awards Susan Boyle performed; the
money raised was donated to Cash for Kids
Charity.
On 28 August 2013 Susan Boyle travelled down
with the Lothian Special Olympics Team to
the Special Olympics Great Britain National
Summer games in Bath. In the evening she performed
at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics
GB at the Royal Crescent in Bath, England
and also stayed to watch the events and hand
out medals to the first day's winners.
On 14 August 2013 it was announced that Susan
Boyle would sing at the Prince & Princess
of Wales Hospice 30th Anniversary Variety
Performance at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow
on 27 October 2013.
Community and faith
On 16 September 2010 Susan Boyle sang at the
Papal Mass performed for Pope Benedict XVI
in Glasgow at Bellahouston Park in front of
a crowd of 65,000.
For three years Susan Boyle has launched the
Wee Box campaign for the Scottish Catholic
International Aid Fund in Glasgow, on 9 March
2011, on 21 February 2012., and on 12 February
2013.”
In May 2012 it was reported that Susan Boyle
would become patron of the struggling Regal
Theatre, Bathgate where she first performed
"I Dreamed a Dream".
On 24 October 2012 Susan Boyle, together with
the West of Scotland and Edinburgh Garrison
Military Wives choirs, launched the Poppy
Scotland appeal on the steps of the Glasgow
Royal Concert Hall.
On 2 May 2013 it was reported that Susan Boyle
was backing the public appeal to help rebuild
the fire-hit Five Sisters Zoo with a “substantial
donation” to the fund to repair the West
Calder attraction."
Other
In January 2012, Susan Boyle donated a performance
dress, which she had worn on America's Got
Talent on 31 August 2011, to The Laura McPhee
Memorial Fund UK Charity. The dress was sold
at auction for £521 and helped raise awareness
of the charity.
In July 2012 Susan Boyle donated a performance
dress designed by Suzanne Neville, which she
had worn at performances in Madrid on the
Ana Rosa Show on 12 February 2010 and in Paris
on Vivement Dimanche on 17 February 2010.
£6,523 was raised and presented to the Prince's
Trust.
Also in June 2013 Susan Boyle donated for
auction a performance dress which she had
worn on The Oprah Show on 19 October 2010,
with proceeds of the auction going to Metro
Radio Newcastle England's Cash For Kids Campaign,
with all funds raised going to disadvantaged
kids across the region. The winning bid was
£400.
Prior to performing at the International Music
Festival "White Nights of St. Petersburg",
at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia,
on 13 June 2013, Susan Boyle visited Children's
Hospital Number 17 and presented to the hospital
a gift of an anesthetic machine.
It was announced 28 October 2013 that Boyle
is a new ambassador for Save the Children
UK. Boyle is releasing a music video 8 December
2013 featuring children from the FAST program
singing "O Come All Ye Faithful" with Elvis
Presley. All royalties will go towards Save
the Children UK and money raised in the USA
will be donated to the Elvis Presley Charitable
Foundation.
Cultural references
The American cartoon show South Park made
a reference to the Susan Boyle craze in the
episode "Fatbeard", which aired on 22 April
2009.
The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show aired
a comedy sketch showing the "feel good" effect
that Susan Boyle's performance has had on
people.
The Simpsons aired a new commercial for its
20th-anniversary show "Springfield's Got Talent",
in which Homer Simpson talks about his dreams
"to be a great singer like Boyle".
A European trailer for the video game The
Sims 3 includes a character mocked up as Boyle.
In June 2009, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a short
story called "I Dreamed a Dream" that was
based on a combination of Boyle's appearances
on Britain's Got Talent and the political
difficulties of Gordon Brown.
The 5 November 2009 episode of the show
30 Rock showed recurring character Kathy Geiss –
who has a dowdy appearance – singing in
the style of Susan Boyle as Liz Lemon and
Jack Donaghy teared up.
In a Season 35 sketch on Saturday Night Live,
an accountant doing Boyle's taxes notes that
her income for 2008 was $1, $900,000,000 for
2009, and projected to be $1 for 2010. Bobby
Moynihan played Boyle in the sketch.
In the Futurama episode "Attack of the Killer
App", Leela has a boil named Susan that can
sing show tunes.
Discography
Studio albums
I Dreamed a Dream
The Gift
Someone to Watch Over Me
Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from
the Stage
Home for Christmas
Concert Tours
2013–2014 Susan Boyle in Concert
Awards and nominations
In 2012 Boyle was awarded an honorary doctorate
for her contribution to the creative industries
from Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University,
where she obtained a Certificate of Higher
Education in caring.
References
Further reading
Boyle, Susan. The Woman I Was Born to Be:
My Story Atria Books ISBN 1451609256
External links
Official website
Susan Boyle at AllMusic
Works by or about Susan Boyle in libraries
Susan Boyle at DMOZ
