Susan Boyle (3 page)

‘She was the one who said I should enter
Britain’s Got Talent
. We used to watch it together. She thought I would win. But after she died I didn’t feel like singing. I wasn’t up to it. Before that I sang in church choirs and I sang karaoke in the local pubs almost every week,’ she said.

Susan later described the events of that
BGT
audition day in January 2009 – three months ahead of transmission – including all the preliminaries leading up to her appearance in front of the three judges who were to decide her fate. It gives a fascinating insight into her frame of mind and her attitude to the challenge that lay ahead of her.

‘I’d seen the show on television, like everyone. And I
had promised my mum just before she died that I would do something with my life. So I applied for it. Filled out the application form, went through the preliminaries, went before the panel and then was lucky enough to be picked by them, too.

‘The panel asked what you’d done in the past and what kind of act you had, and if you had a stage name! I just thought, well, my own name will do, won’t it? I didn’t know whether I needed a stage name or not. Was it enough to just put my own name down?’

She went on to describe why she will never forget audition day, 21 January. ‘A lot of people dream about being on television, about making records, about entertaining people. You chance your arm and see how far you can get. But to be honest I never thought for a minute that I would get this far.

‘The audition was at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. I could see the place, but I kept on taking the wrong bus. I must have changed buses about six times to get to the place and I could see it all the time. I got there hours early and sat in the holding room watching everybody do their audition one by one. Everybody kept saying to me, “Are you sure you should be at this audition?” I saw dance groups come and go, men with spoons, dogs.’

Susan described her performance of ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ and her dialogue with Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden – the images that millions
were later to see – but she also revealed: ‘My original intention was to go on in a football strip, a Celtic strip, just to get the attention. But my family told me they’d completely disown me if I did.’ Luckily, perhaps, she decided not to.

‘By the time I’d finished my audition I’d missed my last bus home so one of the runners got me a taxi. I was on a real high. It was like Celtic winning the cup. I’d seen a production of
Les Misérables
in Edinburgh, at the Playhouse, and I liked the mother figure. It was after my mother died that I’d seen the show and I loved the song and what it meant. I’d sort of regressed after she’d died, if you like. It was life-changing not having her to depend on so much. I had to learn to do things for myself. This was a promise that I’d made to my mum, that I’d do something with my singing. She was the reason I pursued my singing. She was the reason I became a member of choirs and sang in wee clubs. Just to see what I could do. She had a good belief that I could do it. She was a good woman. We’d seen a soloist singing on the TV just before she passed and I said, “Is that what you want me to do, Mum?” and she said, “Yes.” I said, “Are you serious?” and she said, “Of course I am.”’ So Susan decided to do something about it.

‘My confidence was pretty down at that time. A good way of levelling it out, I found, was to tell myself that even though she’s not here physically, mentally and spiritually she is. That’s what keeps you going. I have my faith, which is the backbone of who I am, really.’

CHAPTER TWO

F
riday, 10 April 2009 was the day before the storm. The pre-recorded
Britain’s Got Talent
was to be transmitted the next evening at 7.45 on ITV1 and already the newspapers were beginning to read the runes. ‘Something’ was about to happen. No one, however, could predict exactly what it was to be, the magnitude of what was to follow. How could they? How could anyone be prepared for the explosion that was to take place?

A smattering of small, fairly discreet, newspaper stories emerged that Friday which gave a slight but, understandably, totally underplayed hint of what was about to take place.

The sedate
Daily Telegraph
wrote: ‘A 48-year-old church volunteer who admits to having never been kissed is tipped to be the next winner of
Britain’s Got Talent
. Susan Boyle, from Bathgate, West Lothian,
astonished the judges on the ITV1 show with her rendition of ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from
Les Misérables
. Simon Cowell said her voice was “extraordinary”, inviting comparisons with Paul Potts, who won the show in 2007.’

The Times
media correspondent wrote: ‘Two years ago it was Paul Potts, the snaggle-toothed Welsh mobile phone salesman, who was propelled to international stardom by
Britain’s Got Talent
, the ITV entertainment show. But the programme’s producers believe that they have found an even more unlikely global singing success among this year’s contestants, in the form of a reclusive 48-year-old woman from a small Scottish village, who lives alone with her cat, Pebbles. Viewers of the first episode of the show’s new series, tomorrow at 7.45pm, will see Susan Boyle impress the usually caustic Simon Cowell, one of the programme’s three judges, into silence. In 2007 Potts became one of the world’s most unexpected singing successes after winning the show’s £100,000 prize and the chance to perform for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.’

The Times
’ writer continued by telling of Susan’s dialogue with Ant and Dec and then the thunderstruck reactions of the judges, noting: ‘the stage is set for Ms Boyle, unemployed, from West Lothian, to follow the same path as Potts.’

Potts’s album,
One Chance
, had sold more than four million copies, and it had topped the charts in 14
countries by that spring weekend in 2009. The comparison with Potts was to be continually made in the days that followed. And why not? No one could better that, could they?

Andrew Llinares, executive producer of TalkbackThames, the programme’s maker, was quoted as saying: ‘She was a complete revelation. Everyone was cynical about her. She’s a woman who’s grown up in a tiny little village and has never got married. I think the expectation was that she wasn’t going to be any good. But that’s what’s sensational about the show. No one saw it coming.’

The Sun
too recognised that there was a feeling in the air and again drew comparisons with opera-singing Potts and his rise to fame. The newspaper also wrote the first of what would turn out to be hundreds of thousands of words about Susan under the typically punchy headline: ‘PAULA POTTS…Susan, a virgin at 48, is tipped to follow a Winner.’

The article began: ‘
Britain’s Got Talent
has unearthed a female rival to opera-star winner Paul Potts – a 48-yearold Scottish VIRGIN. Susan Boyle – who admits she has “never been kissed” – is already being dubbed Paula Potts after her incredible audition. The West Lothian singleton wows judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan tomorrow night with her version of “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical
Les Misérables
. She even gets a standing ovation just seconds into the song as
Simon sits there open-mouthed. But the judges are at first just as uninterested as when former Carphone Warehouse salesman Paul walked on stage back in 2007.’

The
Daily Mirror
and its Scottish-based stable-mate the
Daily Record
agreed, along with reference to her unique hairstyle. ‘Jobless Scot Susan Boyle won over the
Britain’s Got Talent
judges by proving herself as a surprise singing sensation,’ said the Scots’ newspaper, and its English counterpart noted she had the ‘voice of an angel… sadly coupled with hair of a shaggy dog.’ It explained to its unknowing readers that ‘she has a soaring, beautiful voice that could grace a heavenly choir – but self-taught singer Susan Boyle has the hairdo from hell.’

There were, of course, other acts on the show, including a dynamic dance troupe from London called Flawless, and the
Daily Star
misread the script by giving prominence to several of the other artists ahead of Susan. The paper seemed especially interested in busty housewife Fabia Cerra, 35, a former world disco dance champion, who stripped onstage and who, at one point, lost one of her nipple tassels. The shot was censored by television chiefs for transmission – a large pair of Union Jacks were cleverly and strategically superimposed to hide her, or more likely the audience’s, embarrassment.

There was little that could be done to censor 57-yearold self-styled witch Gwyneth Marichi who ended up cursing the judges, especially Simon Cowell, for their early veto of her efforts.

The
Star
noted, in a surprisingly prosaic manner: ‘Other acts from the first show tipped to reach the final include father and son act Demetrios Demetriou, 40, and 14-yearold Lagi. The Greek Cypriots fool the judges into thinking they will perform a traditional Greek dance routine. But they become Stavros Flatley and strip off to show their large bellies and do their own hilarious version of Riverdance.’

It added: ‘Cowell tells them: “You are one of my favourite dance acts ever.” And Demetrios jokes: “I think Prince Phillip will love us.”’ Then, almost as an afterthought, the newspaper comments: ‘Another big surprise is Susan Boyle. The drab 48-year-old from West Lothian – who claims she is single, lives with her cat Pebbles and has never been kissed – walks on stage to roars of laughter. She tells the judges she wants to be the new Elaine Paige. But within seconds she silences the giggles. She belts out “I Dreamed A Dream” from the musical
Les Misérables
and leaves everyone stunned by her amazing voice.’

Well, at least the newspaper got there in the end, although the phrase ‘another big surprise’ undoubtedly falls into the category of understatement of the year.

One of the oldest clichés in showbusiness – and outside of showbiz too – is the expression ‘The Day That Changed My Life.’ Saturday, 11 April was to be that day for Susan Boyle.

Over the breakfast tables that morning, there were more stories about Susan – still a totally unknown quantity to the nation as a whole and to the rest of the world – for the people of Britain to read. Only a tiny minority knew what she was capable of. No one knew the impact she was to have.

With showtime, albeit it pre-recorded showtime, less than 12 hours away, the momentum of the phenomenon that was to become ‘SuBo’ was beginning to increase, helped by the knowledge of the show that some newspapers already had. At a very slow rate, it must be said, the trickle that was to turn into a dam-bursting torrent was beginning.

Susan Boyle, the unknown, unmarried middle-aged woman from the middle of nowhere, was publicly quoted for the first time that day in a Scottish newspaper. ‘I’m very proud of being 48 and never having never been kissed. It’s not that I am not interested in men,’ she said. ‘If Mr Right comes along and it feels right then I’ll get married. Mind you I’m nearly 50 so I may be left on the shelf for good soon. But it’s good manners to wait until you’re asked.’

The article noted that Susan had lived at home with her parents all her life and she also revealed she wanted to win the contest as a tribute to Bridget. Susan said, ‘When I lost my mother I decided I wanted to do
Britain’s Got Talent
for her. She was a wonderful lady – one in a million. I have four brothers and four sisters,
although two have passed away, and I know they are going to back me all the way. I have been truly blessed with the family I have.’

She continued, ‘At the audition I think they thought I wouldn’t be good, but when I started singing the audience all got on their feet, it was fantastic. I’ve just been amazed by the whole thing. I’ve really enjoyed it so far. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.

‘I’d like to go all the way. I’m doing it for Blackburn, West Lothian and the whole of Scotland.’ And in a comment that looked as though it was slightly more manufactured than impromptu, she added, ‘Hopefully I can show Scotland’s got talent!’

Speaking to a local newspaper she also said one of the things that had driven her on was the success of a singing plumber Andrew Muir, also from West Lothian, on an earlier
Britain’s Got Talent
.

‘Andrew Muir was fantastic last year and somebody local going on a show like that definitely inspired me to go on. I like Elaine Paige as an artist and try to model myself on her, but it’s all just for fun. I love singing. It keeps me going. It’s quite an accolade what Simon Cowell said and I didn’t really know what to expect. I just went and sang. It would be a dream to have a career in singing and to be on the Royal Variety Performance. I’m very pro-Royal. I’m looking forward to watching the show, although I’ll probably be critical of any mistakes I see, but I’ll take it all in good fun. It’s only entertainment after all.’

Muir returned the compliment when he said, ‘I’ve known Susan for quite a while and sang with her a few times at charity gigs and local talent shows in West Lothian. She’s quite a character and is a really nice woman. I wish her all the best and would tell her to just go for it. There must be something in the water in West Lothian.’

The
Sun
newspaper even carried an editorial extolling her virtues: ‘Susan Boyle will touch a nation’s heart tonight when she sings on
Britain’s Got Talent
. Her amazing voice brings the audition audience to its feet in a scene even more breathtaking than the discovery of Paul Potts. It is a feel-good story to warm the hardest of hearts.

‘In these days of rampant consumerism, it is refreshing to find someone so happy with their lot. Susan has never had a boyfriend but says she couldn’t have hoped for a better family life. And, as she says, you should never judge a book by its cover.’

If there was something in the West Lothian water that Andrew Muir mentioned, perhaps it would have been a good idea to bottle it and send it around the country. It is a fact worth remembering that at the time Susan was about to explode into the nation’s consciousness, people in Britain really were in need of something to lift their spirits. Even Simon Cowell, a man who seemed to be on an ever-increasing spiral of success, had picked up on it.