SUSAN’S COMEBACK
Why her dream lives on
When Susan Boyle first stepped onto the Britain’s Got Talent
stage 10 years ago, few could predict what was to come.
As the audience laughed at her, she declared her dream was to be a professional singer. But the shy, middle-aged Scot persisted, delivering a rousing performance of I Dreamed a Dream that the world still remembers – and rendering Simon Cowell speechless.
Although she didn’t end up winning that third season – finishing as the runner-up to dance crew Diversity – the show made her a star. In the ensuing years, she’s sold more than 20 million records.
After a few years off the grid to spend time with family and friends, Susan (57) is back and gearing up for a mammoth comeback headed by old boss Simon.
“This is a big year for Susan and she is very much stepping back into the limelight,” a pal says. “This is just the start.”
Susan has started with a bang as a contestant on America’s Got Talent: The Champions,
a spin-off from the franchise in which past winners and finalists from various countries compete against each other.
Her first appearance, in which she sang one of her best-known covers, Wild Horses, couldn’t have gone better, with Susan earning her firstever golden buzzer, from judge Mel B, which sends her straight to the semi-finals.
“I couldn’t walk away from a second chance to prove myself,” Susan says. “I’m really looking forward to singing, this time with something to prove.”
The new talent show features 50 previous contestants from all over the world, including opera-singing Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts
– but there’s no doubt that the Scottish sensation is the competition’s biggest draw.
“The anniversary of her audition, which made headlines around the world, is the perfect time to launch a career comeback, and Simon and Susan are very excited about the year ahead,” an insider says.
“She is the epitome of what this show is all about,” adds judge Howie Mandel. “For me, when she walked out on that stage you could feel the electricity in the audience
– and I think it comes across on screen.
“We’re hosting the winners and runners-up and dreamers that have been a part of what makes this show great everywhere, but Susan Boyle is the epitome.”
As well as the American version of the show, Susan has also appeared on the premiere of the latest series of Britain’s Got Talent as a special guest performer – wowing audiences with a daring low-cut frock.
It’s just the beginning of a massive year for the singer, who has faded from the limelight in recent years, preferring to spend time in her small hamlet in Blackburn, Scotland. Her last album, A Wonderful World, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim.
However, it’s still the simple things in life that Susan holds most dear. After her early success, she purchased the $120,000 council townhouse she’d been renting and resolutely lived there even as her millions piled up, until she buckled and bought a new $600,000 home at the other end of the village, which she called The Posh House.
She has, however, since moved back to her former home, declaring she was never happy at the bigger house.
And after years of fighting and animosity with her family, some of whom were said to
be envious of her millions, all is well between the Boyles.
“I have a close and caring family,” she says. “Perhaps I have said a couple of things I should not have said, but all families have tiffs. Fame can lead to a lot of conflict and misunderstanding. I didn’t realise it would have such an impact on my family. We all have had to try to learn to cope.”
Susan, affectionately dubbed SuBo on the internet, is said to be gearing up to release her eighth studio album, much to the delight of her devoted fans.
“I’m a champion for those who don’t have the confidence to do things,” says Susan, who has Asperger syndrome, “and for those who don’t have a voice – the ones people tend to ignore.”
‘I couldn’t walk away from a second chance to prove myself’