She dreamed a dream: Susan Boyle's whirlwind year. Pic: ©Sipa Press/Rex Features
This time last year Susan Boyle would have probably laughed you out of her humble house in Blackburn, West Lothian if you told her dream of becoming the next Elaine Paige was about to come true
But one year on, the only thing that has remained a constant in Susan’s life is her adoration for her cat Pebbles.
Rising to instant stardom one year ago after her opening Britain’s Got Talent performance to the Les Miserables classic I Dreamed a Dream, SuBo, as the press nicknamed her, has become a YouTube worldwide phenomenon with clips of her performances being viewed more than 347 million times to date.
She became a media magnet as the press latched on to every aspect of her life, whether it was her fashion sense or the fact that she had never been kissed.
After finishing second in the competition, despite being the bookies favourite, the pressure got too much for the then 48-year-old, leading to a spell in the Priory Clinic as she recovered from her “exhaustion”. National concern ran high for the now global superstar with Gordon Brown even sending his best wishes to the singer.
After getting back on her feet, Susan said she felt ‘ready to handle fame’ and began her new life in the public eye, starting with the Britain’s Got Talent tour.
The highs and lows of SuBo’s whirlwind rise to stardom:
- Susan performs Cry Me A River
- Glasgow residents initial reaction to Susan Boyle
- Blackburn - the place behind the person
- Scottish musicians pen a song especially for the Britain’s Got Talent star
- Scotland backs Boyle all the way as she becomes overnight success
- Susan deals with the pressures of fame
There was no stopping SuBo as she moved onto her next big venture – her first solo single and album. I Dreamed a Dream, which featured her solo single Wild Horses, debuted as the number one best-selling CD in charts around the globe.
The proud Scot has never let her patriotism lie low, even when signing to sell-out crowds in Tokyo and New York.
She has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and dueted with her idol Elaine Paige when taking part in her own Christmas special show I Dreamed A Dream - The Susan Boyle Story.
Like many of the reality TV stars who took the shortcut to stardom, Boyle has had to deal with the price of fame and is constantly bombarded with reporters and paparazzi that follow her every move.
She even had to deal with an intruder who got into her council house in Blackburn and, in the end, move away from her beloved home (for the time being) to a more secure dwelling in London.
So what is next for Scotland’s most unlikely singing superstar? The devoted churchgoer has already indicated that she would love the chance to sing in front of the Pope and would like to duet with the queen of the pop charts Lady Gaga.
On top of all of that, she is reportedly said to be interested in launching her own range of tartan products and if she has time between her hectic schedule, is said to be ready for romance.
Add this very long list to the impending release of her second album, which could feature original songs written especially for the Blackburn spinster, and it looks like our beloved Scot will not be going very far from the watchful public anytime soon…watch this space.
