Susan Boyle’s astonishing rise to fame

Dec 17 2009 by Debbie Hall, West Lothian Courier

Susan Boyle’s astonishing rise to fame

WHEN Susan Boyle joined the thousands of hopefuls desperate for a shot at fame earlier this year she couldn’t have believed that just months later she would be invited to sing for the American President or smash chart records with her debut album.

But that now-famous moment when she stepped onto the stage in Glasgow and wowed the Britain’s Got Talent judges with her performance has gone down in history and Susan Boyle mania shows no sign of fading.

Her name is on everybody’s lips and the story of her meteoric rise to fame is like none other before.

The 48-year-old spinster has gone from singing karaoke in her local bar to singing a duet with her hero Elaine Page, appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show and counting Demi Moore as her biggest fan.

But for the most part the down-to-earth singer is taking it all in her stride and remains in her family home in Blackburn.

Born in the village, Susan always dreamed of becoming a professional singer but struggled every day with bullies who cruelly picked on her because of mild brain damage she suffered at birth.

She has also suffered tragic set backs in her life.

Her sister Patricia died of cot death when she was just months old and another sister, 53-year-old Kathleen, suffered a fatal asthma attack eight years ago – her father Patrick had passed away just a year earlier.

And in 2007, Susan enrolled on a professional singing course but left after the death of her beloved mother Bridget.

It was the memory of her mother that spurred Susan on to become a success, writing in the notes of her CD that she wanted to make something of herself for Bridget.

And she has succeeded – accomplishing more in eight months that most do in a lifetime.

Her debut album ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ became the fastest selling debut album in the UK, soaring straight to number one.

Almost 412,000 copies were snapped up in just seven days. She had previously broken the record for the biggest pre-ordered album ever on Amazon.

Although a superstar all over the world, Susan is particularly popular in America, where she was set to break Eminem’s previous record for the highest first week sales in the country.

She has appeared on popular chat shows there including Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey and she was even rumoured to have been asked by Ashton Kutcher to sing at wife Demi Moore’s birthday party.

And this month US President Barack Obama invited her for a second time to perform at the White House after she was unable to take up his first offer.

Susan is also an internet phenomena, her performance on Britain’s Got Talent attracted an astonishing 100 million hits on YouTube in just 10 days.

And after 10 million viewers tuned in to watch her show, I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle story, on Sunday, there are no signs that the Susan Boyle phenomena will be over any time soon.