Susan Boyle

by John McShane

  It would be the first time she had been back to Fountain Studios in Wembley – the original home of many classic TV programmes such as Ready, Steady, Go and No Hiding Place and where she had lost out in the BGT final to Diversity.

  It was a wonderful return to the stage for Susan, who received a standing ovation from the audience before she’d even sung a note. She said it was ‘bloody great’ to be back, and added, ‘I feel at home and I loved performing. The public should watch out for the album.’

  Simon Cowell told her, ‘I feel so proud of you and it’s lovely to have you here.’

  She was struggling with a cold and needed two ‘takes’ to get ‘Wild Horses’ right as she coughed during the first version of the song. Fortunately it was pre-recorded so when it was transmitted the rendition was described as ‘flawless’ by critics. The Daily Mirror said she had ‘made a triumphant return to British TV.’ Pop diva Mariah Carey had also pre-recorded her number for the show, and for the same reason as Susan – being double-booked. Susan had to fly to America on the day the The X Factor was being televised in order to plug the new album and it was impossible for her to be in two places at once.

  Reuters News Agency circulated a story that weekend which summed up the fever-pitch feeling as the minutes ticked by until the official release of Susan’s album:

  ‘Scottish singer Susan Boyle, one of the biggest stars of the Internet age, seeks to turn global celebrity into record sales next week with the release of her debut album I Dreamed a Dream.

  ‘Named after the song from the musical Les Misérables that made her famous, the 12-track album is a mix of pop covers like Madonna’s “You’ll See” and The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” and Christian stalwarts like “Amazing Grace” and “Silent Night”.

  ‘The Sony Music record hits stores in Britain on Monday and in the United States on Tuesday, and the early commercial signs are promising.

  ‘The album is the largest ever global CD pre-order on online retailer Amazon.com, with sales reportedly in excess of 100,000, and is the bookmakers’ favourite to top the British chart over the lucrative Christmas period.’

  The story did end with a rare downbeat note, however, when it added: ‘Early reviews have been unfavourable… with The Times newspaper calling it “an uncomfortable package” in a two-out-of-five star review, the same rating as the Guardian.’

  If that was a slightly downbeat end to the item, the same could not be said of many of the other reviews. The Scotsman, for example, said: ‘I Dreamed A Dream has become the most pre-ordered album of all time and her unexpectedly accomplished version of The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” is ubiquitous. The camera may not have loved her on her initial TV appearance but, on this evidence, the recording studio does seem to. I Dreamed A Dream is certainly better than it needed to be for such a sure commercial thing, with some thought invested in the song selection.’ The review continued by saying that Susan ‘tests her chops on the seminal “Cry Me a River”, revealing classiness, sassiness and an understanding of phrasing along the way; and displays some devotional fervour on Patty Griffin’s gospelly “Up To the Mountain”, inspired by Martin Luther King’s “I’ve been to the mountaintop speech”.’

  Julian Monaghan, head of music buying at Amazon.co.uk, said, ‘Just eight months ago, no one was aware of the talents of Susan Boyle. Now, she has generated more Amazon pre-order CD sales globally than any artist. That is an incredible achievement and is testament to the fact that she has captured the hearts of people all over Britain, America and the rest of the world.’

  Susan had been to the US before, for that appearance in Los Angeles, but now New York was in her sights as she flew out to promote the album. She was welcomed by a crowd of fans straining at the barriers at JFK airport, some of whom were waving pictures of her, others tartan banners and Scotland flags or posters declaring their love for her. No wonder Susan was moved to say:

  ‘It was really knockout actually. Especially at the airports. It’s quite a lot to take in and it’s a bit overwhelming at times – I’ve got to be honest here.’

  Many of the admirers who came to greet her at JFK were middle-aged women – one of her core groups of fans – and they wore red scarves similar to the ones Susan had been seen in as a gesture of solidarity with her. One internet fan site alone had 37,000 registered fans – and the number was rising by the day. Interestingly, as well as Susan’s much-discussed appearance and voice, her religious faith was also said to be one of the reasons Americans had such an affinity with her.

  She was to sing three songs from the album. Wrapped up tight a cold New York wind, Susan sang ‘Wild Horses’ plus ‘Cry Me a River’ and ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ on an outdoor stage at the Rockefeller Plaza for millions watching on television.

  Interviewed by Today presenter Matt Lauer, Boyle said she had changed since that first performance which became the massive YouTube hit.

  ‘I’ve grown up a bit,’ she said. ‘I’ve become more of a lady. I don’t swivel my hips as much, you know?’

  She added that one of the songs on her album, the cover of Madonna’s ‘You’ll See’, was her answer to those who she says bullied her at school. ‘That was a statement I was trying to make, because I was bullied a lot at school: “You may have done that to me when I was younger, but you can’t do it to me any more. I’m grown up now.”’

  She was backed by an orchestra and hundreds of fans – many who had travelled across the country to see her – surrounded her as, at one point, she whooped loudly and waved her scarf in the air.

  The whistle-stop visit was not without incident, however. At one stage Susan sucked her thumb and was apparently staring into the distance. And, finally, she burst into tears with her head in her hands. It happened after she was given a patchwork quilt that had been stitched together by hundreds of people, from 28 countries including the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Poland, Japan and Antarctica.

  One source said, ‘Everyone around her is acutely aware how susceptible she is to becoming emotional when under stress. She has just undertaken a tour of America, which would put anyone under enormous pressure.

  ‘It seems to have taken its toll and she was upset. She is being closely monitored and given all the support she needs.’

  A spokesman for Susan played down the incident, saying, ‘She was just overjoyed and extremely touched with the reception she has had from everyone in America.’

  Afterwards she went up the Empire State Building to film some footage for an ITV special due to go out mid-December. And the next day she was taken to CBS for a pre-recorded interview and performance. She then went for lunch to the Tavern on the Green with her entourage – her publicist, personal assistant, record company executives and bodyguards.

  By the end of the week Susan was back home in Blackburn. She had swapped the luxury of her £2,800-a night suite at the Ritz-Carlton, with its French linen bedding and yellow chintz furniture, for the place she really called home.

  Back behind the mock-Georgian white door of her pebble-dash council home she was said to be making plans to leave her London flat and relinquish her gym membership and chauffer-driven car. She was swapping the granite kitchen and cream walls of that luxury apartment for a pair of well-used beige velour armchairs, a collection of brass teapots on the fireplace and a dusty whisky jar filled with loose change.

  One of her public relations team said, ‘Home is the one in Blackburn that she grew up in, and that is the home she wants to live in. She will not be buying a house in London. Her London pad, which is rented, is convenient for the time being. Because of Susan being in London to work on the album she has been splitting her time, but she will be back in Scotland very soon, with Pebbles.’

  Those thumb-sucking pictures and the tears in New York had led some observers to speculate that Susan was on the brink again, but she denied this once she had settled in back home. She said that one the fans had asked her how her career was progressing and she replied she was taking
things slowly and progressing in ‘baby steps’ and put her thumb in her mouth as a joke. She couldn’t believe it when photographs of the incident were later accompanied by text suggesting she could be having a breakdown.

  The tears were simply that she was moved by the caring nature of her admirers who had taken so much trouble to make her a quilt. ‘I’m happy and doing fine. I have never been accepted by the world before. Now I do feel part of it and I find it really exciting. I feel very content within myself, and as I’m finally achieving my dream I feel so lucky and privileged. I keep asking myself, “Is this really happening?” And I keep expecting someone to say, “Ha ha, love, we’re kidding.”’ She insisted she was loving being famous, saying, ‘Everyone has fears but mine is probably that this will all disappear. I want it to keep on going as long as possible. If it did all go away tomorrow, I know that I’ve enjoyed every moment of living the dream now.’

  The acceptance that she was now receiving was the best aspect of her fame, she felt, after being taunted in her childhood. ‘It means I’m a wee bit slower at picking things up than other people. But I’ve got a great deal more ability than people give me credit for. At school, I felt very frustrated, very lonely – people didn’t want to sit next to me in class. I was often bawling my eyes out and it does tend to chip away at your personality.’

  And as for her new appearance: ‘I keep reading that I’ve had all this Botox, the teeth whitening… but I haven’t had that at all. I’ve been working hard and lost a bit of weight which has been good for me. The whole process has been good for me.’

  By that final weekend of November 2009, 700,000 copies of Susan’s album had been sold in one week in the US alone. In Britain it was an estimated 400,000.

  ‘I went to LA and there were great crowds waiting for us at the airport,’ she said. ‘It was quite something – nothing that a woman like me was used to, for heaven’s sake. But I found Americans to be incredibly warm and friendly.

  ‘It was quite something to be in Hollywood. The hotel I was staying in, apparently Frank Sinatra used to take his women there. And I dipped my toes in the same pool Grace Kelly had been in.

  ‘This is a world I’d never seen before and never dreamt that I would get to see. I can’t wait to visit again.’

  She repeated the fact that her one regret was that her parents were not alive to see her amazing transformation. Her father Patrick, a miner and pub singer, had died ten years earlier.

  ‘I think they would be very proud of me – I hope they would. I’ve done a lot of wrong with my parents. There’s no one around that hasn’t. But hopefully I’ve made up for that now and they’re smiling down on me. I can feel it sometimes. The only dream my dad had, of becoming a singer, is coming true through me – so I think he’d be proud!’

  Brother Gerry had his views on Susan and the remarkable situation she was in, global superstar on one hand, middle-aged spinster in a council house on the other.

  ‘I worry Susan will become totally consumed by fame and lose touch with reality,’ he revealed. ‘If that happens the lid could come off at any moment. I need to protect her because she is still so insecure and vulnerable. Her family is her only anchor. Without us she could be cut adrift.

  ‘Susan said she was in great spirits but it was clear she had become totally overwhelmed by the reaction to her by the American public. I kept asking her, “Are you calm, are you happy?” and Susan replied that she’s where she wants to be, which reassured me. I told Susan she needed to kick back quietly for a few days and spent time carefully telling her everyone loved her especially her family and of course her beloved cat Pebbles, which she always asks about.’

  What worried him, he said, is that Susan was aware she can be the hottest thing around today and be gone tomorrow.

  ‘She talks to me regularly and calls at bizarre hours of the day and night. Immediately I have to bring her back down to earth doing the old brother-and-sister chat. Susan’s so huge but she is still coming to terms with it all even six months or so down the road. She pours out her heart to me all the time and can get into a groove of feeling sorry for herself. I spoke to Susan before she flew out to America and she knew this was really the start of the big time. But that also brings its problems if her head isn’t in the right place. She is so different to everyone else and the least thing can send her into a pit of depression.

  ‘It’s a phenomenon to Susan and what I do, deliberately, is let her talk about her career for a minute and then suddenly change the subject and inject a bit of normality. It’s the way forward for Susan,’ he told the People newspaper.

  ‘From June she’s been rocking up on TV all over the world and become a prisoner in her own home and hotel room.

  ‘She has an excellent management team but I’m there for her emotional support. Of course the money is great for Susan, but she is happiest sitting at home by the fire with Pebbles.

  ‘I know Susan would give up the millions just to stay happy and normal.

  ‘The Priory was good for her but the battle against depression and stress is a day-to-day fight. In a strange way the more she is loved the more worried she becomes.’

  Gerry added, ‘Simon Cowell has been a great support to Susan… But don’t forget Susan put herself up for the show – no one else. What Susan needs is a few days sitting alongside her fire with her phone off and Pebbles purring on her lap.’

  The experienced publicist Max Clifford, who represented Simon Cowell, had his own verdict on the best way of helping Susan. ‘Back in the Sixties, we had The Beatles and that was astronomical. But it still took weeks and months for them to gain worldwide fame. For Susan, it was literally minutes. There’s never been anything quite like this before. She will have people there keeping an eye on her, protecting her from excess and her new band of over-enthusiastic admirers.

  ‘The important thing is to let her do it her way and then, in a few weeks or months, she might say “I can’t do this anymore” – but she has to make that decision. I think everyone has been taken a bit by surprise. Nobody in the industry has worked with a Susan Boyle before.

  ‘But they have learned and adjusted and Simon Cowell has made sure that her family is kept very close and everything is done the way that is comfortable for her.

  ‘There’s a very good chance she will be around for a while because she has a lovely voice and a wonderful story that has captured the hearts of millions. But she is the most unlikely star I think we’ll ever see.’

  Susan’s record sales were astounding. When the official figures were released, in its first week in the UK the album sold 410,000 – the best first week figure for an album since records began. She took the record for the best first week’s sale for a debut album from another reality TV star – The X Factor winner Leona Lewis whose album, Spirit, sold more than 375,000 copies in its first week in November 2007.

  She in turn had beaten the previous record set by the Arctic Monkeys in 2006 for their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

  Martin Talbot, of the Official Charts Company, said: ‘Susan Boyle’s achievement is quite phenomenal. After all of the excitement surrounding her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, everyone expected her to make a big impact when she released her first music. But to arrive with such a bang is exceptional.’

  It was a similar story in the States where the album soared to No. 1 in the US charts. Her CD sold a record 701,000 copies in its first week across the Atlantic – over three times that of nearest rival, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

  That meant it was the fastest-selling female debut album ever – with two million copies shifted worldwide. In the States, her CD was the fastest selling by a female artist ever. Only US male rapper Snoop Dogg had sold more in a debut week. The album was also No. 1 in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada and many other countries around the world.

  Simon Cowell said, ‘She’s like a great underdog story – it’s like a Hollywood movie. It’s this lonely lady living in
her little house in this little village in Scotland who for all her life had dreamt of becoming a star.

  ‘Nobody had ever taken her seriously and her last attempt was to come on Britain’s Got Talent. The minute she starts singing her life changes forever.

  ‘I’m incredibly proud of Susan as well as being delighted for her,’ he said. ‘The success could not have happened to a lovelier person. She did it her way and made a dream come true. In Britain’s Got Talent, she opened her mouth and the world fell in love with her, which is why her album has been the fastest-selling of anyone making their debut.’

  Such was Susan’s fame by now that the smallest remark by her was likely to be given space in the newspapers and on websites. So when she said meeting Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, now one of the judges on America’s Got Talent, was one of the highlights of her rise to fame, the news travelled around the world. ‘The most memorable moment has been on America’s Got Talent when I met Piers, Sharon Osbourne and The Hoff – he’s a nice wee hunk,’ Susan quipped.

  The favour had been repaid by ‘The Hoff’, who had said Susan was responsible for ‘bringing the world together.’

  In one radio interview she said, as an aside, that when she died she would like to have the children’s song ‘Nellie The Elephant’ by Mandy Miller played at her funeral. That news too spread like wildfire.

  Amid all this frenzy, it is interesting to analysis what a fellow singer thought of her. Bette Midler – the Divine Miss M – had been at the top of the tree for three decades and so was in a unique position to comment on both Susan and her success. Being Midler, she would not come out with platitudes either; she wasn’t that kind person.

  ‘I think the choice of material is very bright because a lot of it is faith-based and there is a large part of the population who are attracted to the church. She is an act whose time has come,’ said the star. ‘People love that kind of voice. She sings straight. She does not do a lot of riffing. There are no trills, no thrills. It’s straight singing and it comes from the heart.’