Susan Boyle Biography

Susan Boyle born Susan Magdalene Boyle is a Scottish singer. She 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.

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, and set a record for first-week sales by a debut album, according to the Official Charts Company.

In her first year of fame, Boyle made £5 million (£7.1 million today) with the release of I Dreamed a Dream and its lead-off singles, “I Dreamed a Dream” and “Wild Horses”. The success continued with her second studio album, The Gift (2010), where she became only the third act ever to top both the UK and US album charts twice in the same year, and was followed by Boyle’s third studio album, Someone to Watch Over Me (2011).

She subsequently released the studio albums Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012), Home for Christmas (2013), Hope (2014), A Wonderful World (2016), and Ten (2019).

On 12 May 2012, Boyle returned to Britain’s Got Talent to perform as a guest in the final, singing “You’ll See”. The following day, she performed at Windsor Castle for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant singing “Mull of Kintyre”.

Having performed “I Know Him So Well” in a duet with one of her idols Elaine Paige in London in December 2009, Boyle performed with her other musical idol Donny Osmond in Las Vegas in November 2012, singing “This is the Moment”, a duet from her fourth album.

She is known for supporting various charitable causes and has appeared on the UK charity telethons BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. As of 2013, Boyle had sold over 19 million albums worldwide and received two Grammy Awards nominations.

On 23 July 2014, she performed “Mull of Kintyre” at the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in front of the Queen. To date, Boyle has released eight albums, including two Christmas releases, The Gift and A Wonderful World. In 2019, Boyle celebrated ten years in showbiz, with a compilation album titled Ten and a tour.

As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 million records. 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.

10 Quick Facts About Susan Boyle

Here is a list are 10 facts

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• Name: Susan Magdalene Boyle
• Age: 61 years old as of 2022
• Birthday: April 1st
• Zodiac Sign: Aries
• Height: 5 feet 4 inches
• Nationality: Scottish
• Occupation: Singer
• Marital Status: To be Updated
• Salary: To be Updated
• Net worth: $3 million

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Susan Boyle Age

Susan Magdalene Boyle is 61 years old as of 2022. She was born on April 1st, 1961 in Dechmont, West Lothian, Scotland. She also celebrates her birthday on April 1st every year. Moreover, her birth sign is Aries.

Susan Boyle Height

Boyle measures an average standing height. She stands at a height of 5 feet 4 inches tall which is equivalent to 1.63 meters tall. She also has blue eyes and dark brown eyes. However, her weight as well as her other body measurements are currently under review and will be updated as soon as it has been made publicly available.

Susan Boyle Education

After leaving school with few qualifications, Boyle took part in government training programmes, and performed at local venues. Unfortunately, details about where Boyle went to high school/college are not known to the public. This section will be updated as soon as the information is available.

Susan Boyle Family, Parents, and Siblings

Boyle was raised in Blackburn, West Lothian. Her father, Patrick Boyle, was a miner and veteran of the Second World War who also worked as a singer at the Bishop’s Blaize; her mother Bridget was a shorthand typist.

Both her parents were born in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, but also have family links to County Donegal in Ireland. Born when her mother was 45 years old, Boyle was the youngest of four brothers and five sisters.

She was raised thinking that she had been briefly deprived of oxygen during a difficult birth resulting in a learning disability. However, she was told in 2012–13 that she had been misdiagnosed and is on the Autism spectrum with an IQ “above average”. Boyle says she was bullied as a child.

Susan Boyle Dating, Boyfriend and Children

Boyle still lives in the family home, a four-bedroom ex-council house in Blackburn, which she purchased from her earnings in 2010. Her father died in the 1990s, and her eight siblings had left home.

Boyle has never married, and she dedicated herself to caring for her ageing mother until her death in 2007 at the age of 91. A neighbour reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn’t come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone”.

Boyle is a practising Roman Catholic and sang in her church choir at her church in Blackburn. Boyle remains active as a volunteer at her church, visiting elderly members of the congregation in their homes.

On a 2010 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Boyle summarised that her daily life was “mundane” and “routine” prior to stardom. In 2012, Boyle was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. She made her diagnosis public in a BBC interview in December 2013.

In November 2012, when asked if she had tried to find love through Internet dating, Boyle said she was too scared, saying: “Knowing my luck I’d go out on a date and you’d find my limbs scattered around various Blackburn dustbins!”

In July 2013, Boyle endorsed the Better Together campaign to keep Scotland as part of the United Kingdom in the 2014 independence referendum. In so doing, she stated, “I am a proud, patriotic Scot, passionate about my heritage and my country. But I am not a nationalist”, going on to say, “We have still been able to retain our proud identity whilst being a part of Britain.”

In November 2014, it was reported that Boyle was dating her first boyfriend, who was “around the same age” as she was.

Susan Boyle Salary

Details about Boyle’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much she makes will be updated as soon as it is available.

Susan Boyle Net Worth

susan has an estimated net worth of $3 million dollars as of 2022. This includes her assets, money and income. Her primary source of income is her career as a singer. Through her various sources of income, Boyle has been able to accumulate a good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.

Susan Boyle Measurements and Facts

Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Boyle.

Susan Boyle Wiki

• Full Names: Susan Magdalene Boyle
• Popular As: Susan Boyle
• Gender: Female
• Occupation / Profession: Singer
• Nationality: Scottish
• Race / Ethnicity: White
• Religion: Christian
• Sexual Orientation: Straight

Susan Boyle Birthday

• Age: 61 years old as of 2022
• Zodiac Sign: Aries
• Date of Birth: April 1st, 1961
• Place of Birth: Dechmont, West Lothian, Scotland
• Birthday: April 1st

Susan Boyle Body Measurements

• Height / How Tall?: 5 feet 4 inches
• Weight: To be Updated
• Eye Color: Dark Brown
• Hair Color: Dark Brown
• Shoe Size: To be Updated
• Dress Size: To be Updated
• Chest Size: To be Updated
• Waist Size: To be Updated
• Hip Size: To be Updated

Susan Boyle Family and Relationship

• Father (Dad): Patrick Boyle
• Mother: Bridget
• Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): 9
• Marital Status: Not Available
• Dating / Girlfriend: Not Available
• Children: Not Available

Susan Boyle Net Worth and Salary

• Net Worth: $3 million
• Salary: Under review
• Source of Income: Singer

Susan Boyle Career

Boyle took singing lessons from vocal coach Fred O’Neil. She attended Edinburgh Acting School and took part in the Edinburgh Fringe. She also long participated in her parish church’s pilgrimages to the Knock Shrine, County Mayo, Ireland, and sang there at the Marian basilica.

In 1995, she auditioned for Michael Barrymore’s My Kind of People. In 1998, Boyle recorded three tracks—”Cry Me a River”, “Killing Me Softly”, and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”—at Heartbeat Studio, Midlothian.

She used all her savings to pay for a professionally cut demo, copies of which she later sent to record companies, radio talent competitions, local and national TV. The demo consisted of her versions of “Cry Me a River” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song”; the songs were uploaded to the Internet after her BGT audition.

In 1999, Boyle submitted a track for a charity CD to commemorate the Millennium produced at a West Lothian school. Only 1,000 copies of the CD, Music for a Millennium Celebration, Sounds of West Lothian, were pressed. An early review by Amber McNaught in the West Lothian Herald & Post said Boyle’s rendition of “Cry Me a River” was “heartbreaking” and “had been on repeat in my CD player ever since I got this CD…” The recording found its way onto the internet following her first televised appearance, and the New York Post said it showed that Boyle was “not a one-trick pony.” Hello! said the recording “cement[ed] her status” as a singing star.

After Boyle won several local singing competitions, her mother urged her to enter Britain’s Got Talent and take the risk of singing in front of an audience larger than her parish church. Former coach O’Neil said Boyle abandoned an audition for The X Factor because she believed people were being chosen for their looks. She almost abandoned her plan to enter Britain’s Got Talent, believing she was too old, but O’Neil persuaded her to audition nevertheless. Boyle said that she was motivated to seek a musical career to pay tribute to her mother. Her performance on the show was the first time she had sung in public since her mother died.

Britain’s Got Talent (2008–2009)

In August 2008, Boyle applied for an audition for the third series of Britain’s Got Talent (as contestant number 43212) and was accepted after a preliminary audition in Glasgow. When Boyle first appeared on Britain’s Got Talent at the city’s Clyde Auditorium, she said that she aspired to become a professional singer “as successful as Elaine Paige”. Boyle sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables in the first round, which was watched by over 10 million viewers when it aired on 11 April 2009. Programme judge Amanda Holden remarked upon the audience’s initially cynical attitude, and the subsequent “biggest wake-up call ever” upon hearing her performance.

Boyle was “absolutely gobsmacked” by the strength of the reaction to her appearance. Afterwards, Paige expressed interest in singing a duet with Boyle, and called her “a role model for everyone who has a dream”. Boyle’s rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” was credited with causing a surge in ticket sales in the Vancouver production of Les Misérables. Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of the musical, also praised the performance, as “heart-touching, thrilling and uplifting”.

Boyle was one of 40 acts that were put through to the semi-finals. She appeared last on the first semi-final on 24 May 2009, performing “Memory” from the musical Cats. In the public vote, she was the act to receive the highest number of votes to go through to the final. She was the clear favourite to win the final, but ended up in second place to dance troupe Diversity; the UK TV audience was a record of 17.3 million viewers.

The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) became concerned by press reports about Boyle’s erratic behaviour and speculation about her mental condition and wrote to remind editors about clause 3 (privacy) of their code of press conduct. The day after the final, Boyle was admitted to The Priory, a private psychiatric clinic in London, Talkback Thames explained, “Following Saturday night’s show, Susan is exhausted and emotionally drained.” Her stay in hospital attracted widespread attention, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown wishing her well. Simon Cowell offered to waive Boyle’s contractual obligation to take part in the BGT tour. Her family said “she’s been battered non-stop for the last seven weeks and it has taken its toll […but…] her dream is very much alive”, as she had been invited to the Independence Day celebrations at the White House.

Boyle left the clinic three days after her admission and said she would participate in the BGT tour. Despite health concerns, she appeared in 20 of the 24 dates of the tour, and was well received in cities including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dublin, Sheffield, Coventry, and Birmingham. The Belfast Telegraph stated that “Despite reports of crumbling under the pressure…, she exuded a confidence resembling that of a veteran who has been performing for years”.

I Dreamed a Dream and tour (2009–2010)

Boyle’s first album, I Dreamed a Dream, was released on 23 November 2009. The album includes covers of “Wild Horses” and “You’ll See” as well as “I Dreamed a Dream”, and “Cry Me a River”. In Britain, Boyle’s debut album was recognised as the fastest selling UK debut album of all time selling 411,820 copies, beating the previous fastest selling debut of all time, Spirit by Leona Lewis. I Dreamed a Dream also outsold the rest of the top 5 albums combined in its first week.

In the US, the album sold 701,000 copies in its first week, the best opening week for a debut artist in over a decade. It topped the Billboard chart for six straight weeks and although it narrowly failed to become the best-selling album of 2009, with sales of 3,104,000 compared to 3,217,000 for Taylor Swift’s Fearless, it was one of only two albums to sell over 3 million copies in the US, and was also the top selling “physical” album of 2009, with only 86,000 of its sales coming from digital downloads. This has in turn garnered more media attention, as mentioned by People magazine.

In Italy, it was the first album of the month in the Italian No. 1 Account by a non-Italian artist ever. In only a week, it sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, becoming the fastest selling global female debut album.

On 13 December 2009 she appeared in her own television special “I Dreamed a Dream: the Susan Boyle Story”, featuring a duet with Elaine Paige. It got ratings of 10 million viewers in the United Kingdom and in America was the TV Guide Network’s highest rated television special in its history.

In November 2009 it was reported that Boyle’s rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” would be the theme song of the anime movie Eagle Talon The Movie 3 which was later released in Japan on 16 January 2010. Boyle performed for Pope Benedict XVI on his tour of Britain in 2010. In May 2010, Boyle was voted by Time magazine as the seventh most influential person in the world. Boyle’s original song “Who I Was Born To Be” was the theme song of anime film Welcome to the Space Show, which opened in Japan on 26 June 2010.

The Gift (2010–2011)

On 9 July 2010, Boyle announced that her second album would be a Christmas album entitled The Gift. As part of the lead-up to the album, she held a competition called Susan’s Search, the winner of which sang a duet with her on her new CD. The album was released on 8 November 2010.

The album was produced by Steve Mac, who said that “Now Susan’s used to the studio and the recording process, this time round we might go even further down a traditional route of recording by getting a band together and rehearsing songs before we go into the studio to see what works, how she reacts with certain parts, and so we can change the arrangements that way. I think that’s going to work much better….With Susan it’s very important she connects with the public and the public connect with her. She doesn’t want to sing anything that hasn’t happened to her or she can’t relate to.”

In October 2010 Boyle’s autobiography The Woman I Was Born To Be – My Story was published.

In November 2010, Boyle became one of only three acts ever to top both the UK and US album charts twice in the same year. On 30 November 2010, in the United States, Boyle performed on ABC’s The View singing “O Holy Night” and then on NBC’s Christmas at Rockefeller Center program performing “Perfect Day” and “Away in a Manger”.

Someone to Watch Over Me (2011)

Boyle performed on the second semi-final results show of the sixth season of America’s Got Talent, which aired on 31 August 2011.

Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012)

Boyle released her fourth album Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage in November 2012. She reportedly took piano lessons as she planned on playing it for the album. A reporter told The Sun “Susan loves the piano and always dreamed of being able to reach a standard which would allow her to play on stage and on her albums.” In October 2012 renowned opera star Placido Domingo released his album Songs which included a duet with Boyle of Shania Twain’s “From This Moment On”.

Acting debut and Home for Christmas (2013–2014)

Boyle made her first acting appearance as Eleanor Hopewell in The Christmas Candle. The film is based on a book written by author Max Lucado about a 19th-century village of simple people in the English Cotswolds in need of a miracle.

The film was released on 22 November 2013 in the US and 29 November 2013 in the UK. Talking about her first acting role, Boyle said, “I can’t believe I’m making a film. I’m very excited to be a part of The Christmas Candle. Everyone on set is a delight to work with and it’s a fantastic experience to be part of the team.”

In the movie Boyle sings an original song, “Miracle Hymn”, the anthem for the film and a track from her album Home for Christmas, which also featured a duet with Elvis Presley singing “O Come All Ye Faithful”.

The album was released on 29 October 2013 in the US. Previously in television, Boyle starred as herself in I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story and in a 2011 documentary titled Susan Boyle: An Unlikely Superstar.

Boyle also starred in a second documentary titled There’s Something About Susan in the UK, which first aired on ITV on 12 December 2013. It aired in the US on Ovation Channel under the title Susan Boyle Her Secret Struggle with the premiere on 9 April 2014.

In October 2013 American vocalist Johnny Mathis released an album titled Sending You a Little Christmas. The album includes “Do You Hear What I Hear?” a duet performed with Boyle.

Hope (2014–2016)

Boyle released her sixth album, Hope, in October 2014 in the US and in November 2014 in the UK. The album, whose theme is hope and inspiration, includes a recorded live performance by Boyle of “You Raise Me Up” with the Lakewood Church choir.

Hope mostly contains renditions of classic ballad song, as well as uptempo songs themed around inspiration and hope as Boyle sees those as the “two elements we all need in our life to drive us forward and inspire us to go out and capture our dreams; they worked for me after all.”

Boyle stated that “I have really enjoyed making this album. I had a huge input in music suggestions and finally have been able to record one of my all time favourites, “Angel”, originally by Sarah Mclachlan. I also am pleased to be able to sing some uptempo songs that show variation in my repertoire.”

The album debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, becoming Susan Boyle’s sixth consecutive top 20 album there. The album spent 35 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Inspirational Albums chart. It has sold 115,000 copies in the United States as of November 2016.

The album spent 35 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top Inspirational Albums chart. Boyle performing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland, performing “Mull of Kintyre” upon the arrival of the Head of the Commonwealth, HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Return to music and A Wonderful World (2016–2018)

Following the release of previous album, Hope in 2014, Boyle took a break during 2015 to “take a little me time and spend time at home with family and friends”, and thus the recording of her seventh studio album was postponed to 2016. In October 2016, Boyle announced the release of A Wonderful World.

America’s Got Talent: The Champions and Ten (2019–present)

In September 2018, Boyle was confirmed to be a contestant in America’s Got Talent: The Champions. When asked why she joined the competition, she stated that she wanted to win this time. She performed on 7 January 2019, singing “Wild Horses” from her 2009 debut album I Dreamed a Dream and received a golden buzzer from judge Mel B. She progressed straight to the finals where she sang the song “I Dreamed a Dream” from her original audition back in 2009, but failed to finish in the top five.

Boyle’s eighth studio album, Ten, was released on 31 May 2019 and features a duet with Michael Ball on the track “A Million Dreams”.

On 21 August 2019, Boyle performed on the results show for season 14 of America’s Got Talent.

Boyle performed her song “Wings To Fly” at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Susan Boyle Awards and Achievements

Honorary doctorates

In 2012 Boyle was awarded an honorary doctorate for her contribution to the creative industries from Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University, where she obtained a Certificate of Higher Education in caring.

In 2015 Boyle was awarded an honorary doctorate in the field of music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow.

Guinness World Records

In September 2010 Boyle was presented with three Guinness World Records which were featured in the Guinness World Records 2011 edition published 16 September 2010. The three records were for Fastest-selling Album by a Female (UK), Most Successful First Week UK Debut Album Sales, as well as Oldest Artist to Reach No. 1 with a Debut Album (US & UK).

On 20 November 2010 Boyle achieved another World Record for Oldest Female at No. 1 on UK Albums Chart with her second album The Gift.

On 20 November 2010 Boyle received two other Guinness World Records due to the success of The Gift, one record being “Only British female artist to top both the US and UK album charts with two releases” and the other being “Most successful Christmas album in the UK” – “On 20 November 2010, Susan Boyle’s (UK) album The Gift became the first Christmas album to ever top the UK chart.”

Susan Boyle Songs

• I Dreamed a Dream (2009)
• The Gift (2010)
• Someone to Watch Over Me (2011)
• Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012)
• Home for Christmas (2013)
• Hope (2014)
• A Wonderful World (2016)
• Ten (2019)

Frequently Asked Questions About Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle Contacts

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Youtube
• Tiktok
• Website

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