Susan Boyle

Posts Tagged ‘I Dreamed a Dream – The Susan Boyle Story’

Viewers in Australia will get their chance to watch I Dreamed a Dream – The Susan Boyle Story as it will be airing in Australia this Sunday 17th January at 6.30pm on Nine.

Susan Boyle has retained her number one spot for the top selling album on the Billboard 200 for the third week running. She sold a further 582,000 copies of “I Dreamed a Dream” during the week ending December 13th, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In total so far her album has sold 1.8 million copies – so perhaps Piers Morgan will be presenting her with another platinum disc soon!

In other news, it has been confirmed that the video of Susan Boyle’s Britain’s Got Talent audition was the top video of the year, with YouTube owners Google saying the video was watched more than 120 million times.

Susan’s TV special: I Dreamed a Dream – The Susan Boyle Story was also a big hit, becoming the number one rated television special in the history of TV Guide Network. The Americans were particularly excited about Elaine Paige’s duet with Susan Boyle. Misti in Seattle tells me: “Everyone here is SO excited and thrilled about Susan’s duet with Elaine and wanting more! In fact we are very happy for Elaine as most of us had not even heard of her before and now SHE is also going to have a wonderful career here in the USA as well as her British one.

Misti continues: “She was so sweet to Susan at the beginning when others were making fun of her and she has been so gracious about being the “guest” and giving Susan her “star” time. They both just sparkle together and sound wonderful.

“I am so hoping they do an album together and bet they will as the producers will not let THIS money maker slide through their hands.”

I think we’d all like to see more collaboration between Elaine Paige and Susan Boyle, wouldn’t we? An album of duets would be lovely.

For those of you who don’t know Elaine Paige, she has had a long career in musical theatre in the West End, but became better known by the public when Andrew Lloyd Webber selected her to play Eva Peron in his new musical Evita, back in 1978. It was Elaine Paige who recorded the original “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” and the other songs from the musical, long before Madonna remade them.

And finally, Susan Boyle is unsurprisingly odds on to secure the Christmas number one album spot in the UK, according to the bookmakers Ladbrokes.

The Susan Boyle TV special, I Dreamed a Dream – The Susan Boyle Story, was aired last night in the UK and US, and wasn’t it fabulous? One of the highlights was watching Susan being presented with a Triple Platinum Disc to celebrate over 1,000,000 sales of her “I Dreamed a Dream” album worldwide. See the video below:

Susan Boyle has performed a duet with one of her idols, Elaine Paige, for her TV Special I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story which airs this Sunday 8/7c on TV Guide Network in the US and 9:30 pm – 10:30 pm on ITV in the UK.

Susan and Elaine sang “I Know Him So Well”, from the Musical Chess, a song written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of? Abba with the lyrics written by Tim Rice. Elaine originally performed the duet with Barbara Dickson.

According to the Telegraph, Susan was not told about the duet until shortly before the performance but appeared overcome with joy to sing alongside Paige. (However, I’m not sure I believe this – they would need time to rehearse a duet together, surely?)

Following the duet, Susan said: ?I never thought I would see myself standing on the same stage with such an icon from West End theatre, let alone singing with her as an equal.?

Elaine said of the duet: “It was a pleasure to finally sing with Susan, she was a delight to work with and I think we more than did justice to one of my favourite songs.”

Also on the show, Piers Morgan will be presenting Susan with a gold disc to celebrate her album selling more than one million copies.

Whilst performing the ballad “Who I Was Born To Be”, Susan decided to jazz it up with a cheeky dance routine in the middle of the song. Reportedly, Susan repeated the jig during the second take, even though the producers asked her to keep still. She likes a giggle, does our Susan!

Susan Boyle has been interviewed by the creators of her TV Special, I Dreamed a Dream – The Susan Boyle Story, about her life both before and after Britain’s Got Talent.In the interview, Susan talks about her mother, why she applied for Britain’s Got Talent, what it was like growing up, the time she spent in the Priory clinic and her amazing transformation and makeover.

It is such an in depth and detailed interview, I am reproducing it here in its entirety:

What was it about Britain’s Got Talent that made you want to apply for it?
Well, I’d watched the show on television like everyone. And I had promised my mum that I would do something with my life just before she died. So I applied for it, filled out the application form, went through the preliminaries, went before the panel and then was lucky enough to be picked by them.

Who had you enjoyed on the show before?
I liked the Glaswegians on it when I saw it on the TV. But it was when I saw wee [choir singer] Faryl [Smith] that I thought “I could do that. I fancy that.” Paul Potts was exceptional too. He was an inspiration to everybody, all the ordinary people like me that just enjoy singing. If you can do it when you’re working in the Carphone Warehouse you can do it from anywhere.

What were your nerves like at the audition?
Pretty jangled, you know? I was all over the place. I went on stage and my knees were knocking, but I decided you either show nerves or you get cheeky with it. I said, ‘Right, the cheek’s the thing.’ I introduced myself as Susan Boyle and that I’d like to be a professional singer like Elaine Paige. … Everything I said to the judges was completely unplanned. The Elaine Paige thing I’d thought of before because she’s always been a favorite, but the carrying on and the swagger? I had no idea where that came from.

Why did you choose the song “I Dreamed A Dream”?
It was just a song I loved from a musical I loved. I’d seen a production of Les Miserables in Edinburgh, and I liked the mother figure. It was after my mother died that I’d seen the show, and I loved the song and what it meant. I’d sort of regressed after she’d died, if you like.

Can we talk about your mother?
Of course we can. It was life-changing not having her to depend on so much. I had to learn to do things for myself. … This was a promise that I’d made to my mum ? that I’d do something with my singing. She was the reason I pursued my singing. She had a good belief that I could do it. … We’d seen a soloist singing on the TV just before she passed, and I said, “Is that what you want me to do, mum?” And she said, “Yes,” and I said, “Are you serious?” And she said, “Of course I am.” So, I decided to do something about it. I couldn’t straight away because the bereavement hit me hard. But I’m getting over that slowly and putting my promise into practice.

How did you cope with that bereavement?
After mum died in 2007, it didn’t fully register until maybe six months after, when the loneliness set in and there was nobody around except my cat. When you lose someone as powerful as your mum, you feel as if a part of you is taken away and that does things to your confidence. My confidence was pretty down at that time. A good way of levelling it out, I found, was to tell myself that even though she’s not here physically, mentally and spiritually she is. That’s what keeps you going. I have my faith, which is the backbone of who I am, really.

What was it like growing up in such a large family?
Oh, we were quite a squad, all with different abilities, but all very musical. My brother Joe was a songwriter, too. My dad used to sing. My mother sung and played piano. I have two sisters that are very good singers. We were a wee bit like the Von Trapps! There were guitars sitting about in the house and a piano, and we’d all experiment with them. We loved The Beatles in the ’60s. I was just a wee lassie and we’d sit and watch Top of the Pops and wait for them and The Rolling Stones come on. My dad hated that program, so he used to turn it down. I used to turn it up just for devilment.

Outside of music, are your memories of growing up happy?
They’re mixed, like everybody else’s. The majority of my childhood was quite happy until I started getting bullied at school. They used to knock me about a bit and try and make me cry. There’s nothing worse than another person having power over you by bullying you, and you not knowing how to get rid of that thing… I didn’t think I could trust anybody, and it made me a bit of a sitting target. By the time I got to secondary school, I wasn’t sure who was my friend or my enemy. I didn’t make friends very easily. I did try [to] speak to people, but they made fun of me. I often felt pushed aside.

Was music a release from this?
It was a complete emotional release. I had a slight disability… and I had to find my abilities and concentrate on that instead. Singing was the one thing that I was good at. Music was my escape, and my brother bought me lots of LPs. I was daft about the Osmonds at the time. I used to go up to my bedroom and play records. I could be who I wanted to be. I used to imagine myself singing to an audience. It was my safe haven. Even at 13, I would see people singing on the TV and wanted to be in that position and entertain people.

When did you first discover that you had a powerful voice?
I’ve sung since I was about 9. I’d do theatrical stuff and join choirs. I was picked for a solo once, but choirs for me were about hiding behind other people. They were about taking comfort in letting other people take the lead. I was quite shy back then. Hard to believe after everything that’s happened this year, I know! But I was. By the time you get to my age, you lose that shyness.

If you’d told the young Susan, at 12 years old, that this was what was going to happen to her, what would she have said?
She wouldn’t have said a word. She would’ve been too shy to say anything.

A lot of the music on your album has a religious flavour to it.
There’s a couple of hymns on there. It seemed right. “How Great Thou Art” is a song that takes me right back to my childhood. On a personal level, church is very important to me; it’s the central point of my faith, and I recognize that God gives you gifts that you have to use to the best of your ability. I hope I’ve got the right professionalism to do that now. I know that I’ve got the right people behind me to bring it forward. I just hope that I can.

The church has always been my friend in the times where I was being bullied, where I felt lonely. When I lost my mother, it helped me through it. … My faith gives me an inner strength and helped me through the periods of self-doubt. I will always continue to keep that kind of linkage. It’s not just about being an entertainer. … Another part of it is being connected with someone else, and that someone else is my faith.

Do you understand why your tremendous story has connected with so many people?
I don’t know, really. It’s an unusual story. I was often left behind at school because of one thing or another. I was a slow learner. I’m just a wee bit slower at picking things up than other people are. So you get left behind in a system that just wants to rush on, you know? That was what I felt was happening to me, and this feels like a good way of making up for that. A very, very enjoyable way of making up for it as well.

How do you feel about the worldwide reaction?
I didn’t know what YouTube was until I was in the record offices and saw the clip and the number of hits. I’m still trying to come to terms with it. The fans have been amazing, and the mail I have received: phenomenal. I have been sent beautiful gifts, including books, toiletries and a vintage dress from the 1950s that had been in a family for generations and they wanted me to have it. It’s indescribable that someone would want me to have something so precious. Everyone has shown me such kindness and support. I’ve even had offers of dates!

What do you think it was about you that people became so instantly fascinated by?
A woman who went on with mad hair, bushy eyebrows and the frock I was wearing had to be noticed. Come on! That particular frock was a good choice at the time, I thought. I’d bought it for my brother’s wedding. It was a dress to impress. But I don’t know. … It’s a hard one to put into context. [It's] probably the fact that I’m an ordinary person who came from a poor background, and through fate and the help of a great team of people, I was able to rise up from that. I know it’s a clich? but it’s a bit of a Cinderella story.

Some of the newspapers were less than lovely. How did that feel?
You can’t really get annoyed by it. People will write things about you. It is part of the territory you’re in. It felt a wee bit hurtful, and I’m sure if I read everything I would’ve become a wee bit paranoid. But you have to take it all with a pinch of salt. I’m getting used to it now, and I get lots of advice. Back then we all were a bit shocked by the interest, but I had a good team to get me through that unexpected patch.

Do you think it was hard for the media to deal with your instant fame?
I’m the wee wifey with the mop and the cat next door. I went from being an unknown [with] nobody bothering me on the streets to all these headlines with things like “the hairy angel.” The pressure of that I found a bit suffocating because it all happened in such a short space of time.

You had a short spell in the Priory. Why?
I don’t really remember much about it. After the finale, I went there with extreme exhaustion. I hadn’t slept properly for about a week, and I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I was in there for three days, and I’ve never felt so tired. But I look back on it now, and it was a necessity. I wanted to get a rest and a break at the time without all the cameras.

You’ve undergone a bit of transformation ? when you look in the mirror now what do you see?
I brush up quite well! It’s a bit like a signet to a swan. Now I see a sophisticated lady. Even though the outwardness has changed, inside I’m still the same, but a bit more refined now in some ways. The whole process has been good for me. I keep reading that I’ve had all this Botox, and 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.

At what point did you know you were going to make a record?
I wasn’t sure until after the show. I had a meeting at the record company. They asked me if I wanted to make a record, and I was a wee bit nervous. Simon Cowell knew my dream was to make a record, and he said if I still wanted to do it, then he would offer me a deal. You don’t get that every lifetime, do you? After 23 years of waiting and wanting to make a record, it takes your breath away really. There aren’t really words to describe it except… wow. It didn’t feel real. I kept asking myself, “Is this really happening?” I kept expecting someone to say, “Ha ha, love, we’re kidding.”

Describe the feeling the first day you walked into the studio?
When you go into the studio, you see all these plaques on the walls of different artists, and I said to myself, “You’re going to make an album and eventually if you’re good enough you’ll be there.” I felt quite shy, but I was determined to do my best. The album was so important to me, and it was very important to have songs that personally appealed to me. I sat and listened to music and heard songs and thought about things that would suit my voice and songs that meant something to me when I heard them.

You mentioned listening to The Rolling Stones as a kid, and you chose “Wild Horses.”
I just hope that I can do it justice. The words are great. They take me back to where I lived. It’s a very powerful song.

What was the first song you recorded for the album?
It was “I Dreamed A Dream” first and then “Cry Me A River.” I remembered it being the theme tune from the TV show McCallum. I’d been through to Edinburgh to a wee studio to see how my voice sounded on tape, and that was the song we’d sung there. I went into the booth and sang the song and that was that. I found it easier than you’d think. It’s a Julie London song, with a lovely 1950s feel about it. I like that era. It seems so tame and innocent now.

Obviously “I Dreamed A Dream” had to be on the album.
Obviously. But a lot of the ones that moved me surprised me a lot. “Wild Horses” was a song like that. I just didn’t expect it to suit my voice as much as it did. I’d never tried singing that song before. It was all new territory for me. I’m used to singing music from the musical theatre, and this was rock music. But the lyrics drew me into the song, and as the story unfolded, I got it. I felt drawn in by the words. The same thing with “You’ll See.”

That’s quite something isn’t it? Susan Boyle takes on Madonna!
It’s a song about determination. I am a determined woman, despite the bullying I’ve had in the past. It’s a song about proving yourself as your own woman. I instantly loved that song. It’s a song about knowing that whatever happens to you, you’ll be alright.

What about the new song: “Who I Was Born To Be”?
This is fate telling me what I should be doing with my life. I heard that song, and instantly I knew. It’s a brand-new song. A very powerful song. It was a very moving song to sing.

How pleased are you with the album?
The whole thing has come together so well ? beyond my wildest dreams, really. I had a great producer. Steve [Mac] was so kind to me. He was brilliant to work with, and he got the best out of me. The album itself is like a reflection on my whole life. I’ve waited so long to become a professional singer and now it’s become real.

After your first audition you became more famous than anybody could possibly have anticipated. How did that affect you?
I have no idea how that happened. Honest to God. It was absolutely unbelievable if I’m being honest.

How was going to America for you?
I went to L.A., and there were great crowds waiting for us at the airport. It was quite something ? nothing that a woman like me was used to. … But I found Americans to be incredibly warm and friendly and very open about how warm and friendly they are. It was quite something to be in Hollywood. It’s like stepping back in time, to another time and place with all the movie stars gracefully walking about.

The hotel I was staying in? Apparently Frank Sinatra used to take his women back there! Talk about “Strangers in the Night,” eh? And I dipped my toes into 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. Everyone was so wonderful to me, and I can’t wait to visit again.

Do you think there’s something in your story that has changed the perception of fame in Britain?
No, but I think that I have turned the ordinary woman upside down. The wee wifey with the bottle of Flash doing her cleaning? She’s gone now.

Will you ever lose her altogether?
No I won’t. That’s what keeps me grounded: remembering that I am just that wifey. What you see is what you get. There’s no airs and graces with me.

How proud do you think your parents would be of you now?
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, frankly. But hopefully I’ve made up for that now and they’re smiling down on me. I can feel it, sometimes.

What’s the dream now, Susan? Would you like a boyfriend?
There’s no time for that now! I’m far too busy! What a laugh. No, there was a TV company that wanted to set me up with a man. Apparently he was a nice man, but I’ve got my living to do now. I don’t mind being friendly, but no marriage plans as yet.

How does it feel to be Susan Boyle now?
I feel very content within myself as I’m finally achieving my dream. I feel so lucky and very privileged, actually.

What is your biggest fear?
Well, everybody 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 girl that dreamed a dream, what does she dream about now?
I dream about security. I dream about one day finding the right person and continuing to make people happy with my music. My advice to those who dare to dream is don’t give up. If I can do, it anyone else can too.

Reproduced from articles on? TV Guide Network

Piers Morgan will be the host of the Susan Boyle TV Special: I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story, which will air on Sunday 13th December at 8/7c exclusively on the TV Guide Network in the US, and Sunday, 13th December 2009, 9:30pm ? 10:30pm on ITV in the UK.

The programme is described as being a candid documentary of Susan Boyle’s journey from the small village of Blackburn in rural Scotland to international fame and fortune following her inspiring Britain’s Got Talent performance.

Piers Morgan, who watched first hand Susan’s amazing story, says that he has been “blown away”? by her transformation.

“It is very hard to think of anyone in the history of show business that has come from such an extraordinary background as Susan Boyle,” he says. “To be propelled from the complete anonymity of Blackburn to global superstardom and having 300 million people downloading you, it is to me the most extraordinary transformation I’ve ever seen in this business.”

There is some friendly banter on the show between Piers and Susan, with Susan saying that through all the changes in her life she has become closer to Piers. “I’ve always had a soft spot for wee Piersy,” she says. “He said ‘You’re a serious artist now.’ … It really feels like I am [an artist] now.”

In addition to the expected interviews of friends and celebrity fans, including Simon Cowell, and renditions of “Cry Me a River” and “Wild Horses” from her album, Susan will also be treating fans to a performance of? “One Day More” with the London cast of Les Miserables.? There will also be a segment on Susan at home and on her recent trip to New York where she performed at the Rockefeller Centre for the today show and visited the top of the Empire State Building.

“I’ve really enjoyed myself and I’m really enjoying making the show,” Susan said of the TV special. “I don’t want the dream to end ? in fact, I want it to become a reality.”

Thanks to the TV Guide Network, who were the main source for this article.

Susan Boyle’s debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, is still number one in the UK for the second week of its release, outselling rivals Westlife and Take That by two to one.

Susan’s album has sold 209,305 copies so far this week. Last week, her album sold 411,820 UK in the UK alone (there were 784,000 sales in the US according to the latest figures).

Meanwhile, Westlife are likely to enter the album charts at number 2 with 97,000 sales of Where We Are with Take That’s The Greatest Day selling 87,000 copies.

Worldwide, Susan Boyle is number one in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The album is also number two in Holland and Argentina and number five in Switzerland, according to The Sun.

Currently, over three million of her albums have been shipped worldwide and record company bosses are making urgent arrangements to ship even more!

Just to whet your appetite, here is a sneak peak at Susan’s TV special I Dreamed A Dream – The Susan Boyle Story which will be airing in the UK on Sunday, 13th December 2009, 9:30pm – 10:30pm and in the US on Sunday, 13th December 2009, first showing 8pm-9pm on the TV Guide Network.

Finally, there are now 17 video questions and answers on the Video Questions page – check them out!

I Dreamed A Dream ? The Susan Boyle Story will be screened on UK television (ITV) in December. The show will be biographical and will feature interviews with Susan, her friends, celebrity fans and some performances from Susan, including the tracks Wild Horses, Cry me a River and I Dreamed a Dream.