As one of the best-selling female artists in U.K. history, vocalist Susan Boyle has one of the more unusual rise-to-fame stories in the contemporary pop scene. In 2009, the Scottish-born performer soared from total anonymity to worldwide fame in a sudden, triumphant moment on a U.K. reality television show called "Britain's Got Talent."
In the five years since, Boyle has toured the world, acted in films and plays, collaborated with major global charitable groups, conquered health issues and recorded and released six top-selling albums.
North Charleston Performing Arts Center
This week, as part of her first major tour across the U.S., Boyle will make a stop in the Lowcountry for a concert at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center tonight. Her fall tour is in support of a critically acclaimed studio album titled "Hope," a 10-song collection that was officially released last week via the Columbia label.
Local fans can expect a wide variety of show tunes, pop classics, and spirited jazz and gospel standards from Boyle - or as she describes it, "a sensational and contemporary repertoire of iconic album tracks and never-heard-before classics."
Most Boyle fans will be eager to hear the tune that catapulted Boyle to fame during the first round of the third season of "Britain's Got Talent" - "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Miserables."
"This is a brilliant moment for me," Boyle stated in a press release on the eve of her fall tour. "I am so very proud to be announcing that I will be performing in my very own tour in the U.S. This really is fantastic. The past five years have been incredible, and it just keeps getting better. I've spoken so often about wanting to tour America and be able to visit different cities for the first time. The U.S.A. embraced and supported me from the beginning, and it really feels like a second home, so I can't wait to get on the road and perform there."
A star rises
Boyle grew up in the small town of Blackburn, Scotland (situated in the Lothian area between Edinburgh and Glasgow). As a young girl, she was misdiagnosed with a learning disability, but was later properly diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.
As a young adult, Boyle worked basic jobs before taking singing lessons and attending acting school in Edinburgh. Eventually, she joined the choir at her local Catholic church.
For fun, she ventured into doing karaoke performances at local venues through the 1990s.
In 1998 and '99, Boyle took a serious step forward as a budding singer, recording several songs at professional studios and submitting a track for a charity CD.
Enlarge Susan Boyle Provided
Boyle's televised performance on the show on April 11, 2009, was the first time she had sung in public since her mother died several months prior. She strolled out onto the stage, looking somewhat disheveled and frumpy in front of show creator/talent scout Simon Cowell and his panel of judges. Some members of the audience rolled their eyes and groaned at what they assumed would be a poor performance, however, within the first few lines of "I Dreamed a Dream," Boyle stunned the judges, the audience and most of the 10 million viewers tuning in with her clarity, tone and delivery.
Judge Amanda Holden described it as the "biggest wake-up call ever."
Known for his blunt criticism and penchant for painfully honest appraisals of contestants, Cowell happily recognized Boyle's talents during the 2009 season and afterward.
"Susan flies in the face of every talentless monster who's become famous for not actually doing anything, of which there are thousands in the world today," Cowell stated in 2009 during an interview with On Demand Entertainment. "Susan is the opposite. She never wished to be famous; she wanted to be a singer. And she doesn't conform. She's just a normal person who thought this was her last opportunity, and she had this funny little unique story, and people rooted for her. It was a punch-in-the-air moment when Susan Boyle got through."
Boyle was one of 40 musicians, vocalists and troupes that made it to the "Britain's Got Talent" semi-finals that season. A crowd favorite, she moved all the way up to the finals, taking second place behind the dance troupe Diversity.
After performing on stage during a "Britain's Got Talent" tour, Boyle signed a deal with Columbia and quickly recorded her debut album, fittingly titled "I Dreamed a Dream." The disc became an instant hit and one of the fastest-selling U.K. debut albums of all time.
'Hope'
While 2009's "I Dreamed a Dream" provided an ideal document of Boyle's musical tastes and strong points, it was a bit stiff and formal compared to much of the music on the contemporary pop charts. However, it reached No. 1 on the U.S. and U.K. pop charts.
Boyle's follow-up albums veered toward thematic seasonal fare. The Christmas-themed set "The Gift" hit the street in time for the holiday season of 2010. Her 2011 "Someone to Watch Over Me" stretched out a bit more with a colorful set of old pop and rock hits, including "Both Sides Now" and "Unchained Melody," plus renditions of deep cuts by Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode.
The 2012 release "Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage" featured duets with Donny Osmond and Michael Crawford.
The following year, Boyle revisited the Christmas theme with the nostalgic "Home for Christmas."
Boyle's latest record, "Hope," comes across as more diverse, daring and confident, relying more on her ever-expanding range and heartfelt delivery than on fancy orchestral production or studio flair.
"I themed this album around inspiration and hope because those are two elements we all need in our life to drive us forward and inspire us to go out and capture our dreams," Boyle said of the new album in a recent chat with the U.K.'s Daily Mail. "They worked for me after all.
"I have really enjoyed making this album," Boyle continued. "I had a huge input in music suggestions and finally have been able to record one of my all-time favorites, 'Angel,' originally by Sarah McLachlan. There are also iconic songs, which were a risk to take on but I hope I've done them justice in my own way."
"Hope" kicks off with a refined and respectfully dainty reworking of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" (composed by David Gilmour and Roger Waters) and eases into a lovely cover of Sarah McLachlan's emotional hit "Angel."
She also put her twist on some of the big standouts on "Hope"; not many would dare attempt a version of Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or John Lennon's "Imagine," but Boyle's sweet and delicate rendering on the piano-based arrangements work well within the set.
"John Lennon's 'Imagine' was one of the hardest to record, not because of the music or the vocals but because I wanted to do his song justice," Boyle said in an announcement for the album.
"Of course, the die-hard Lennon fans will probably criticize, but I hope that people like my personal take on the song."
She also arranges the traditional "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" as an acoustic guitar-driven lullaby, and she even puts the soft touch on what easily could have been a tacky version of "The Impossible Dream." And a bit of old-time gospel comes through with the backing of a full choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on the standard "Oh Happy Day."
Fans of Susan Boyle will certainly relate to the warm sentiments, brisk instrumentation and spirited tones of the "Hope" album and the eclectic set of songs she and her backing band and string section will perform during their coast-to-coast fall tour.
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