She Dreamed a Dream: Modern Day Inspiration, Susan Boyle!

Susan Boyle has had an interesting journey to fame. Before she appeared on a British TV talent show in 2009, she was a shy, middle-aged woman from Scotland. Then she sang I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables for her audition and became famous overnight. She didn’t win the contest, but the YouTube video of her performance has been watched by millions of people. Her debut album I Dreamed a Dream quickly became the world's biggest-selling album of that year. The album has sold almost 14 million copies worldwide.

In fact, the road to stardom hasn’t been easy for Susan. She was born in 1961 in a small Scottish town to an Irish immigrant family. She was the youngest of nine children. At school, she was diagnosed with learning difficulties and became a target for bullies. She was often mocked, and her peers called her Simple Susie. She graduated with few academic qualifications and landed a job as cook in a college; yet singing was always part of her life. She had singing lessons and auditioned for talent shows, but she never found the success she was looking for. Her mother supported her talent, and encouraged her to take part in singing competitions. However, in 2007, Boyle's mother passed away, which crushed Susan. For nearly two years, she refused to sing, but in August of 2008, Boyle's singing coach urged her to try out for the television talent show Britain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be a final tribute to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow. The rest is history.

How has life changed for this unlikely celebrity? Things have never been quite the same since that extraordinary night in January 2009. She has performed to audiences of thousands of fans. Known to the press, and to many of her fans, as SuBo, she has recorded six albums and sold millions of copies. Although she hasn’t won a Grammy award, she has been nominated twice.

Susan has never forgotten where she came from. She still lives in Scotland. She has bought a new house, but she hasn’t sold the home where she grew up. She has never married or had children, but she has said that she would like to adopt a child. Her powerful voice has given pleasure to millions of fans all over the world. Above all, perhaps she has been an inspiration for all the people who have ever wanted to follow a dream. Susan Boyle proved that she has got that talent Britain’s looking for!