Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle
Boyle in November 2009
Boyle in November 2009
Background information
Birth nameSusan Magdalane Boyle[1][2][3]
Born (1961-04-01) 1 April 1961 (age 63)[1]
Dechmont, West Lothian, Scotland[4]
OriginBlackburn, West Lothian, Scotland
GenresOperatic pop
OccupationsSinger
Years active1998–present
Labels
Websitesusanboylemusic.com

Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961)[1][5] is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 million records.[6] Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream (2009), is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and it was the best-selling album internationally in 2009.[7] In 2011, Boyle made UK music history by becoming the first female artist to achieve three successive albums debut at No.1 in less than two years.[8]

Boyle's debut studio album, I Dreamed a Dream, was released in November 2009; it became the UK's best-selling debut album of all time, beating the previous record held by Spirit by Leona Lewis,[9] and set a record for first-week sales by a debut album, according to the Official Charts Company.[9] In her first year of fame, Boyle made £5 million (£8.5 million today) with the release of I Dreamed a Dream and its lead-off singles, "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Wild Horses".[10] The success continued with her second studio album, The Gift (2010), where she became only the third act ever (and the first woman artist) to top both the UK and US album charts with two different albums in the same year.[11] It was followed by Boyle's third studio album, Someone to Watch Over Me (2011).[11][12] She subsequently released the studio albums Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012),[13] Home for Christmas (2013),[14] Hope (2014), and A Wonderful World (2016).[15]

On 13 May 2012, she performed at Windsor Castle for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant singing "Mull of Kintyre".[16] On 23 July 2014, she performed "Mull of Kintyre" at the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in front of the Queen.[17] To date, Boyle has released eight albums, including two Christmas releases, The Gift and A Wonderful World. In 2019, Boyle celebrated a career spanning ten years with a compilation album titled Ten together with a tour.

  1. ^ a b c "Interview with Susan's brother Gerry Boyle on RadioLive NZ". Radio Live. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  2. ^ Susan Boyle: Albums, Songs, Bios, Photos Archived 23 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine from Amazon.com with middle name spelling 'Magdalane'.
  3. ^ The Correct Spelling of Susan's Middle Name email from Gerry Boyle on forum.susan-boyle.com Archived 17 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Susan Boyle | Biography, Songs, & Facts". Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  5. ^ Scottish genealogist Caroline Gerard found her official birth entry at New Register House in Edinburgh Susan Boyle's Astrology Horoscope Archived 9 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Susan Boyle 12 years on – incredible weight loss, home and hidden disability". 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. ^ Kisiel, Ryan (2 May 2016). "Tragedies, feuds and public tantrums: Is the dream finally over for Susan Boyle?". news.com.au.
  8. ^ "Susan Boyle rewrites UK chart history with third consecutive no.1 album". Music-News.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Susan Boyle beats Leona Lewis, Arctic Monkeys to 'biggest first week sales for UK debut album' title | News". NME. UK. 29 November 2009. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Singer Boyle made £5m in first year of her fame". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference transatlantic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "'Someone To Watch Over Me' Will Be Released November 1". digtriad.com. 3 September 2011. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  13. ^ "Susan Boyle Announces Tracks for Upcoming Album Standing Ovation". Playbill. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Susan Boyle Announces Special Christmas Chorus Competition". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  15. ^ "Susan Boyle announces new album 'Hope'". Pressparty. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Celebrity Interview – Susan Boyle". Country Images Magazine. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Rod Stewart and Susan Boyle perform at Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony". NME. 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.