Susan Boyle is a morality tale from the early 21st century. It unfolded mainly on reality TV, social media, tabloids, and TV specials. Many readers in the US and UK are familiar, but it’s good to look back. For those outside the UK and US or younger readers, it might be less known.
In essence, Susan Boyle’s story is a classic rags-to-riches tale, intertwined with the lessons of “don’t judge a book by its cover” and The Ugly Duckling. I bring up The Ugly Duckling, a story about a baby swan mistaken for a duckling because Boyle faced challenges from birth and a misdiagnosis of brain damage. This labeling error shaped her life before and after BGT 2009. Let’s see Boyle singing with her idol, Elaine Paige.
VH comments, “I will never forget Susan’s audition and how she just turned that crowd, she was amazing! And I’m so pleased to see her with the woman she idolized, what a coup for her.” Redwoods adds, “Susan’s singing reaches to the soul of the listener. That can’t be learned. She has a gift from God.” People often mention in YouTube comments that Boyle’s voice connects with people on a deep level, reaching their souls and hearts, thanks to her natural talent from God.
When Boyle was on BGT, she didn’t have a job, lived with her cat, Pebbles, and was at risk of losing her family home. Boyle’s dad passed away in 1997 at 83, and after that, she took care of her mom, who passed away at 91 in 2007. Looking after an old, weak parent is a round-the-clock responsibility. This is one reason why her appearance got teased, with The Guardian calling attention to her “messy hair, thick eyebrows, and the perception of being a single woman,” which unfortunately attracted unkind comments, especially from kids.
Here’s another video (2019):
That was Susan Boyle singing Unchained Melody, made famous by the Righteous Brothers, in a video from 2011. Back in her 2009 run on BGT, Boyle quickly became the favorite to win. When Susan Boyle, 48 at the time, walked onto the stage for her audition, many people were skeptical. Talking to CNN after her audition went viral just days after being posted, Boyle mentioned she noticed some initial snickers, but she didn’t let them bother her. “I just thought mentally, I’ll show them, so I did. If people are cynical, you try and win them ’round, and it worked. It must have been a miracle, but it worked.”
When Simon Cowell asked her during the audition how successful she wanted to be, Boyle replied, “Elaine Paige…someone like that?” That’s why she later had a duet with Paige in our first video, taken from the late 2009 TV special called I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story. “I Dreamed a Dream” is also the title of Boyle’s first album, released in November 2009 – it’s the UK’s best-selling debut album ever and holds the record for the debut album with the highest first-week sales. After The Gift came out in 2010, Susan Boyle became “the third act ever to top both the UK and US album charts twice in the same year.”
Susan Boyle has been keeping up with her music and making the news. Back in 2013, it came out that she’s smart with a high IQ but also on the autism spectrum, even though it wasn’t officially diagnosed. Boyle said, “When I was young, I was told I had brain damage. That was a mistake. I always felt it was an unfair tag. Now I understand better what’s going on, and I feel relieved and more at ease with myself.” The media also likes to talk about how she’s sticking to her simple family home. More recently, in June 2023, on a guest spot on BGT 2023, Susan Boyle shared that she had a stroke in April 2022 but managed to recover in time for the show. This toughness reminds us of a tough time at the start of her career.
The day after the BGT 2009 final (and after The Press Complaints Commission reminded newspapers about privacy rules when reporting on Boyle), she went to The Priory, a private clinic in London. Talkback Thames explained, ‘After Saturday night’s show, Susan is tired and emotionally drained.’ She left the clinic three days later and despite health worries, she made it to 20 out of 24 tour dates.
So, did Susan Boyle win BGT 2009? In a not-so-popular call, the dance group Diversity won, and Susan Boyle accepted that gracefully, taking the second spot. Like Tom Petty said, “Even the losers get lucky sometimes.” Despite not winning, Boyle went on to bigger success. It wasn’t just luck, though. She has a fantastic talent – a strong and sweet voice that hasn’t had much formal training, letting her background, personality, and accent shine through. Maybe a bit of luck or an angel on her shoulder played a part too.
In Boyle’s words, as reported by The Guardian, “I lived with Mum and cared for her until she died at the age of 91 in 2007. I felt a part of me had died with her, and I was also in danger of losing our family home because I wasn’t working. I was totally lost, but then I remembered how she always told me to follow what makes me happy. I so wanted to make her proud, so I found the strength to apply for BGT, and I truly believe that she was the angel on my shoulder that day.”
If you want to see more of Susan Boyle, you can subscribe to her YouTube channel, follow her on Facebook, or check out her official website for more info.