Transcript
ITV’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ has produced some of TV’s most iconic and heartwarming moments.
But, Susan Boyle’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables made everyone’s jaw drop.
The then 47 years old singer fell one step short of winning the contest but went on to have a fairly successful music career.
Boyle was born on April 1, 1961, to Bridget Boyle and World War II veteran, Patrick Boyle.
Due to the deprivation of oxygen at birth, she had a learning disability from an early age.
However, she found comfort in music and started singing in her school productions when she was 12.
She graduated from school with a few qualifications while continuing to perform in local venues.
Boyle had been singing in a Parish church for a while, but her first televised public appearance came in 1995.
She auditioned for Michael Barrymore’s talent show, My Kind of People, where she was unjustly rejected for her looks.
In 1998, she recorded three songs, Killing me softly, Cry Me a River and Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, to be put in her professionally cut demo tape.
She sent the tape to record companies, radio talent competitions, local and national TV in hopes of her talent being recognized.
She even started taking singing lessons from Fred O’Neil in 2002. But, her mother’s death in 2007 changed her life.
As a tribute to her deceased mom, she decided to audition for ‘Britains Got Talent’ in 2009.
Her performance had people stunned and one of the show’s cynical judges, Simon Cowell, silenced.
Her audition video became instantly viral. In fact, it became 2009’s most watched Youtube video with more than 120 million views.
She released her first studio album, I Dreamed a Dream, in 2009 and has come up with 7 albums to date with ‘A Wonderful World’ being her last in 2016.
Little to nothing had been heard from her until Simon Cowell broke the news that she’ll be coming back with a new album this Christmas.
She is also set to perform at Alhambra Theatre Dunfermline along with Strictly Come Dancing’s Lance Ellington on June 19, 2018.
Boyle currently lives in her hometown of Blackburn and has an estimated net worth of $26 million.