All
dressed up in modest lace, sensible shoes, and stockings, her graying, curly
hair a haphazard puff atop her head, unknown and eccentric mezzo-soprano Susan Boyle, 47, stood in front of millions on
the stage of Britain's Got Talent in 2009, announcing to host Simon Cowell, "I'm trying to be a professional singer."
Defying every expectation, she proceeded to stun viewers with a voice no one
saw coming, slaying "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. On the heels of
an audience-wide standing ovation, host Piers Morgan, just as gobsmacked as
everyone else, bluntly declared, "When you stood there with that cheeky
grin and said, 'I want to be like Elaine Paige,'
everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now," The Guardian
reported at the time. Once the awkward shadow of a woman, tottering around her hometown of Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland, she
was on the verge of a dazzling $7.1 million payout within the year, according
to International Business Times. In the following months, she would sing for the
Pope, the Queen, and President Obama.
So
where is she now? With the voice of a hopeful, yet world-weary angel, a
bursting bank account, internationally chart-topping hits, and a household
name, where has this dark horse diva skittered off to? Well, you don't go viral
and disappear for no reason. We've got a hunch it might have a little something
to do with the following things.
In
2013, at the age of 52, and just four years after she stepped foot into the
public eye, Boyle revealed a private struggle, one which manifested itself as a
clinical diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. It was a relief for
the singer, as it clarified a label she had been living with her entire life:
"brain damaged." Nicknamed "Susie Simple" as a child, Boyle
suffered severe bullying, as well as the social anxieties commonly associated
with the syndrome, she shared with The Guardian. "It was the wrong
diagnosis when I was a kid. I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was
an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong and I feel
relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself."
Typically,
those living with Asperger's suffer from the ability to form relationships, as
well as judge normal social interactions against appropriate behavior. While
Boyle is smarter than average, she also suffers from severe depression, mood
swings, volatile behavior, and emotional outbursts, as reported in The
Guardian. "It's just a condition that I have to live with and work
through," she said.
In
a candid interview with The Daily Mail, Boyle relayed more recent experiences,
saying she feels safest on stage. But behind the scenes? "Off stage, [my
bad behavior] happens lots. It always has. But I'm getting better at dealing
with it because I know what it is. If I feel I'm going to take a mood swing, I
get up and leave." She admitted she's "the only artist who needs a
leash! I'm King Kong's mother!" And when she's asked about sharing this delicate
news? "It's a very difficult subject to talk about because you always feel
that eyes are on you, and people view you as different. I like to see myself as someone with a problem, but one I can
solve."
Boyle's celebrity vocal coach, Yvie Burnette, shared her
thoughts in a BBC interview: "It's interesting with Susan because I think
she builds up in her head a fear of going out on the stage. And it's so ironic,
because when she is out on the stage, she loves it. She always fears she's
going to fail, she fears that people won't like her singing anymore, [she wants
to] have everyone still love it, and love it forever." In the same BBC
special, Boyle's childhood friend Lorraine Campbell revealed, "Susan still
struggles today; trying to feel that she is accepted."
Long before she shot to stardom, Boyle spent her days
unemployed, depressed, and single-handedly caring for her mother, Bridget, at
the family home in Blackburn, Scotland. Having lost her father in 1997 and her
sister Kathleen in 2000 to an asthma attack, Boyle remained devoted to her
mother and their shared Roman Catholic faith. While it was her father who had
wanted to become a singer himself, it had been the whole family's dream to
become the real life version of the Von Trapps from The Sound of Music, she
told The Guardian. One of nine children, Boyle says her mother never pushed her
and "hoped I'd become a shorthand typist like her. I never really
announced to my parents that I wanted to sing for a living. I sang at church
and karaoke nights in local pubs but I was in my 30s before I found the courage
to audition for a few things… Every time I auditioned, Dad would say: 'Sock it
to them, girl, and do your best.'" Boyle's mother passed away at the age
of 91, in 2007, just two years before Boyle took the stage for her legendary
Britain's Got Talent audition. But her mother was never very far away. Boyle
recalled in the same interview, "I felt a
part of me had died with [my mother]… I was totally lost, but then I remembered
how she always told me to follow what makes me happy. I so wanted to make her
proud, so I found the strength to apply for Britain's Got Talent and I truly
believe that she was the angel on my shoulder that day."
While
Boyle fondly remembers her mother, it is the singer's older brother Gerry who
made headlines with her in a rumored feud over money in 2013, according to The
Mirror. How much? Reportedly more than $60,000. Although Boyle was estimated to
be worth $27 million at the time, it was said that several family members
claimed her brother forced her to hand over the cash by threatening suicide.
True or false, it was radio silence for the sibs, lasting more than two years
amidst an all-out family feud. It wasn't until the singer's well-publicized
tantrum at Heathrow airport, The Telegraph reported, that the Boyle duo would
reconnect. Mr. Boyle rang up his struggling sister, offered his support, and
all was forgiven.
More
recently, Boyle's older sister Brigid suddenly passed from cancer in 2015,
which proved beyond devastating for the singer. Boyle shared with The Mirror,
"[Brigid] was an amazing sister and a real rock. She was honest and helped
me throughout my life and during my career… I miss her every day."
Who
runs the world? Girls! And when you're a one-woman show, you gotta make that
paper and answer to your fans! While she's been busy recording track upon track
over the years, Boyle dropped the album A Wonderful World (Columbia) just in
time for the 2016 holiday season. And with tracks like "When You Wish Upon
A Star," "Somewhere Out There," and "Like a Prayer" —
yes, the Madonna one — she's working hard to prove she's relevant and
relatable, seven years into her career at age 55.
In
an interview with Vents magazine, she gushed about being lucky enough to duet
with Nat King Cole on "When I Fall In Love." "I have really
enjoyed making this album. It was great to get back into the recording studio
and do what I enjoy the most. There's been a lot of speculation over the past
year but I'm great, back on track, and this album proves it. I wanted to create
an album that families could enjoy, something for everyone, an album that can
be played all year and evoke memories. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge
Madonna fan and to be able to perform 'Like A Prayer' was a real highlight. As
the first British artist to have been able to perform a duet with Nat King
Cole's vocals, it's a real honor. Seven years on I still get to surprise
people." Spoken like a true girlboss.
In
2014, Boyle finally opened up her heart to her first boyfriend ever — at the
age of 53! It had been an admittedly steep learning curve for Boyle, as
relationships have always been difficult for her because of her Asperger's. She
told The Daily Mail, "People with Asperger's do put a barrier up because
they don't know how to trust people. I try not to. I want to let people
in." She went on to describe her perfect man: "I'd
like someone who's a bit like my dad: a strong person, a fair person, probably
a very kind person."
While
she kept his name top secret, she told The Sun (via People), "I don't want
to say any more about who he is right now as that would be unfair [to] him… All
I'll say is we are around the same age and he was a very nice guy." The
lovebirds met at a Florida hotel where both were staying, during her U.S. tour.
They shared a romantic lunch together. She confided, "He was the perfect
gentleman and even paid the bill… Afterwards we exchanged details. When we said
goodbye he gave me a peck on the cheek." Swoon! Boyle, based in Scotland,
struck up a long-distance relationship with "Mr. Right," who lived in
Connecticut. We're guessing it takes some serious scheduling to squeeze in a
saucy Skype sesh with that five-hour time difference. And as far as celebrity
romance goes? Well, SuBo, we wish you the best of luck!
Ever
since 2013, buzz had been circulating that multi-millionaire Boyle was thinking
of adopting a child. "I want to give a youngster what I didn't have,"
the Scottish Sunday Mail reported (via The Daily Mail). She continued, "I
have so much love to give. I want to adopt a child who doesn't have much, who I
can really give something to. It's a way of giving back for me. I love
children, I always have but I couldn't have them." At 55, the singer
revealed other people don't always share her views on the matter. "We'll have
to see what social services say, but it would make me so happy. I know I'm
single and 50-odd. People don't think I'm serious when I say it; they have a
giggle at me. Let's see."
The
singer grew up in a large Roman Catholic family of nine children, so it's no
surprise she's thinking of continuing the legacy and spreading the love!
If
she were that kinda gal, Boyle could easily be cruising around town in a
Bugatti, draped head to toe in diamonds, not blinking an eye. But that's not
her style. Instead, according to Forbes, Boyle
currently lives in her family's modest Scotland home with her cat, Pebbles. Her
very first album, I Dreamed A Dream, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts,
and was the top-selling album worldwide in 2009, the New York Times published.
It scored $8.3 million in sales, trouncing mega-acts the Black Eyed Peas,
Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga.
Her
sophomore release, The Gift, went Platinum in 2010 with $3.7 million in sales
worldwide, making her the first female artist to have a No.1 album in the
United Kingdom and the United States twice in less than a year simultaneously,
according to The Guardian. Who else had done it before? Just a little band
called the Beatles. She's been following up with an average of one album per
year. As of 2014, Boyle's net worth was estimated at $33 million, and even now,
she's constantly raking in royalties, thanks to being owner of her three music
management firms. She'd never have to work another day in her life, if she
didn't want to.
One-of-a-kind
in personality and talent, Boyle is nothing if not incredibly courageous. Close
friend Paul O'Grady said of her in a BBC interview, "She really has got an
inner strength, Susan. And she's her own woman… she's determined, she's quite
feisty… she's tough. You can't get Susan to do something she doesn't wanna do.
She really is not delicate. She's a tough, old bird, Susan, and that's… one of
the things I love about her." The humble, eccentric, brilliant Boyle finds
strength and stability surrounded by familiar faces in her hometown of
Blackburn, Scotland. It is in the time she takes off from touring, recording,
and performing to spend there that she finds enough safety and comfort, to
continue to record chart-topping albums, reaching adoring fans worldwide.
So,
what's the secret to her success? Boyle's former singing teacher Fred O'Neil
shared with the BBC, "A lot of older people can feel kind of
disenfranchised by music. Their favorite stars who they've liked from when they
were young, have grown older… and so by the time these [stars] are in their
50s, they're almost worn out. Whereas Susan is someone who is coming from their
generation, but completely fresh." Boyle's friend Frank Quinn continued
her praises: "She also has that capacity, coming from her compassion
probably, to be able to reach into the pain of people who feel that they are
broken, who feel that they're very vulnerable, and I think that's a tremendous
gift."
She
may prefer a private life over a public one and she may have her fair share of
personal struggles to overcome, but Boyle continues to sing, despite great
challenges, inspiring fans worldwide with her passionate voice. Maybe it's that
underdog story that is so compelling to her audience. Because of that, we see
Boyle returning to the spotlight with future albums — maybe even a hosting gig
for a certain British talent competition! Always keeping her personal and
spiritual life healthy and well, her voice will be
heard for years to come.
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