Susan Boyle

Posts Tagged ‘interview’

Susan Boyle has been exclusively interviewed by Mark Jefferies of the Daily Mirror. He reports that Susan these days “cuts a sleek and sophisticated figure”. Susan agrees that she feels different now, too.

She said: “When I look in the mirror I see that I brush up quite well. It?s a bit like a cygnet to a swan.

“Now, I see a sophisticated lady. Even though the outwardness has changed, inside I?m still the same, but now I?m a bit more refined in some ways.

“Put it this way, a woman who went on Britain?s Got Talent with mad hair, bushy eyebrows and the frock that I was wearing that night had to be noticed.

“It was a good choice at the time. In fact, the whole process has been pretty good for me.?

Susan has done incredibly well since last year’s Britain’s Got Talent. Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, sold more that eight million copies around the world. Now Amazon.co.uk have been inundated with pre-orders for Susan’s second album, which is yet to be recorded or named. There have so far been two million pre-orders and is set to be the most pre-ordered CD in history.

Susan also spoke of the effect the death of her mother, Bridget, had on her in 2007.

She said: ?It was life-changing, not having her to depend on so much. I had to learn to do things for myself.

“My dad has been dead for 10 years now and my mum for two-and-a-half. They both had a good innings. They were elderly when they went and they?d been sweethearts since they were 20. They went to school together, came from the same area, grew up together.

“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. I couldn?t straight away because the bereavement hit me hard.

“My confidence had been pretty good at the time. But when you lose someone as powerful as your mum, you feel as if a part of you is taken away.

“A good way of levelling out, I found, was to tell myself that she may not be here physically and mentally, but spiritually she is. That?s what keeps you going. I have my faith which is the backbone of who I am.

“I?m getting over that slowly and putting my promise into practice.”

Susan talked further, about the musical family from which she comes.

“Oh, we were quite a squad,? she says. ?All very musical. My dad used to sing, my mother sang and played piano. I have two sisters who are very good singers. My brother Joe was a good songwriter, too. We were a wee bit like the von Trapps. We loved the Beatles in the 1960s. I was a wee lassie and we?d sit and watch Top of the Pops, and wait for them and the Rolling Stones to come on.

“My dad hated the programme, so he used to turn it down. But I used to turn it back up for devilment. My father was a fair sort of a person, mind you, but he caused a lot of arguments over that programme. We were never allowed to go to the local dance hall, but I had a sister who used to shimmy down the drainpipes and sneak out. Gradually my brothers and sisters flew the nest.”

At the moment, Susan maintains she is too busy with music to think about romance, even if she wanted to! However, any future boyfriend of Susan would need to be accepted by her family, so says Gerry Boyle. In an interview with an Australian magazine, he said: “Our family is very protective of Susan. Anyone coming into a circle from a romantic angle would have to go through the rigour.

?She becomes attached very easily to people so she has to be careful. There has to be a bit of reality in her life. I think the world realises that she is fragile. She?s desperately keen to be loved again.?

Susan also spoke about her school days, and the times when she was bullied. She said: “I started to get bullied at school. They used to knock me about a bit and make me cry. There?s nothing worse than another person having power over you by bullying you.

?For anybody with that kind of problem, I?d tell them to see a teacher, but I didn?t do it.

?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 enemy. I didn?t make friends very easily. I did try, but they made fun of me and I felt pushed aside.”

Now Susan has lots of money and fans the world over. Nevertheless, brother Gerry cautions: “Now that Britain?s Got Talent has gone, she?s got a commitment. She has to sing, she has to travel, she?s in the working world the same as the rest of us. I think Susan will have to realise that staying at the top takes a heck of a lot.”

I know that I for one can’t wait to hear her second album.

Here is the Susan Boyle “Living the Dream” interview as shown on Australian TV, delightfully interviewed by Charles Wooley on Channel 9. I am unable to embed the first part of the interview, so you will have to click the this link here to view the first half.

It’s funny, I went to Edinburgh Castle about four weeks ago – I kept saying to my husband, “I wonder if we’ll bump into Susan Boyle”. And we went to Edinburgh Castle. Looks like I picked the wrong day. It would have been lovely if I had bumped into her, but I doubt I would have known what to say. Blushes and looks tongue tied!!

Thanks to Eloise for bringing this interview to my attention.

Here is Susan Boyle’s performance at the San Remo Festival in Italy, which was aired live on February 16, 2010. The Hostess is Antonella Clerici. I have updated the previous clip to include one which also has the interview with Susan.

Here is the video of Susan Boyle being interviewed by Mark Phillips on the CBS Sunday Morning Show, which aired earlier today – Valentine’s Day.

An interview with Susan Boyle will be screened in the US only on February 14th – Valentine’s Day, according to Susan’s official website.

The interview was filmed in Scotland, at Cameron House Hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond, and the interviewer was the CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Mark Phillips.

During the interview, Susan talks about her dramatic rise to fame, the making of her album and how her life has changed since she auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent.

If you are in the US – check your listings for the time the interview will be aired.

Viewers outside the US should not worry – the interview will undoubtedly be uploaded to YouTube and I will feature it on this site for your convenience, as always.

Susan Boyle was interviewed on Dutch television on January 29th, on the TROS channel.

Interviewed in her own home by Ivo Niehe, Susan revealed that she had “never been happier” and was enjoying life “immensely”.

She added that she was still living in the same place which kept her grounded, and would be staying there: “Maybe not forever, but for a good bit”.

Pebbles, Susan’s cat, now lives with a lady called Pam in London, so that her life is not disrupted by Susan’s travel arrangements. However, Susan still sees her all the time.

You can watch the whole interview below. God bless the Dutch for speaking such perfect English and not dubbing Susan’s voice.

STV have exclusively interviewed Susan Boyle about the intruder she found at her home after returning from recording the Haiti single.

During the interview, Susan confirms that she will be remaining in her Blackburn home.

She told STV: “I’m very well, thank you, and everything’s now under control and is being dealt with by the police and by those concerned. I’m a lot calmer than I was last night.

“There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“He did give me quite a scare, but I think he got more of a scare than I did because he made off! But these things have to be looked at the appropriate manner by the appropriate people, and I’m sure it’ll be sorted out very soon.”

Asked is she was considering moving home, Susan confidently replied: “I’m staying right where I am – there’s nobody pushing me out of my house, nobody’s going anywhere.”

She ended the interview by happily waving to and joking with the attending Paparazzi.

You can view the full STV video interview here.

There will be an interview with Susan Boyle on Radio 2 (88 – 91 Fm) on Christmas Day (today!) at 7:00pm GMT. You can listen to Radio 2 over the internet using BBC iPlayer. My understanding is that BBC iPlayer does not work if you are outside the UK. However, if you are technically minded, you may be able to listen to the broadcast from outside the UK if you connect via a UK based proxy server.

Here is a trailer for the broadcast:

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