Authors: John McShane
It was no exaggeration to say that the world was waiting on tenterhooks to see what would happen next to Susan. It was inconceivable, surely, that she would not progress to the next stage. Why, wasn’t she going to win the eventual title too?
Sure enough she was one of the 40 who were selected, and the news was flashed around the world by various news agencies more accustomed to recording the great disasters and momentous politic events her than sending out an up-to-date on what Melvyn Bragg had remarked, was a talent show after all.
The Press Association said: ‘Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle has made it through to the semi-finals of
Britain’s Got Talent
where she will battle it out with 39 other acts. The 48-year-old spinster has gathered a worldwide following and celebrity fans including Demi Moore and Jon Bon Jovi since belting out ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from
Les Misérables
on the programme. In a 90-minute special edition of
Britain’s Got Talent
on ITV the judges announced the 40 acts they want to go through to the live semi-finals which start on Sunday.
‘Two acts from each of the next five shows will be picked by the public and the judges to make it through to the grand final next Saturday. They are all competing for the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show and a £100,000 cheque.
‘Boyle is not the only singer who has captured the judge’s attention – a host of cherubic youngsters have also made it through to the semi-finals… The remaining acts from the shortlist of 40 will each perform in front of the judges and the nation over the next week in a bid to win a place in the final.’
Agence France-Presse announced: ‘Susan Boyle, the dowdy Scottish spinster whose mighty singing voice has catapulted her to global fame thanks to YouTube, won through to the next round of talent show
Britain’s Got Talent
Saturday. A clip of Boyle, 47, in the show’s auditions has been watched some 60 million times on the video-sharing website since April and her fans include actress Demi Moore.
As the
Britain’s Got Talent
auditions round ended Saturday, Boyle was named among 40 acts who will go through to the live semi-finals from Sunday, when she will make her eagerly-awaited second appearance on the show.
‘When asked how she felt after the judges made their decision, Boyle said: “On top of the world, it’s fantastic”, punched the air and did a dance. Speaking of the semi-finals, she added: “I really want to do my best, get out there and do my best, and anything can happen.”
‘The grand finale takes place on Saturday May 30 and Boyle – nicknamed the “Hairy Angel” by the British press – is the bookmakers’ hot favourite to win…’
The
New York Daily News
trumpeted: ‘Susan Boyle – the United Kingdom’s biggest singing export since the
Spice Girls – is going through to the next round of
Britain’s Got Talent
.’
Susan’s reaction was typical: ‘I can’t believe I’m in the semi-finals,’ she said. ‘The number of hits on YouTube has just been amazing. Until six weeks ago the only tube I knew of was a tube of Smarties. And the messages of support from all over the world have just been unbelievable and very touching. I never even thought I’d get past the judges. I can’t believe I’m in the semi-finals and I’ve been overwhelmed by the public reaction to my first audition. I’d just like to thank all my fans for the support they have shown me, especially everyone back at home in Bathgate.
‘I have got a nice outfit to wear that I’m really happy with, but I just want people to see me for who I am. I’m very nervous and I really don’t know what to expect, but I’m just going to go out there and do my best.
‘If I get through, bloody fantastic! But I am not thinking that far ahead, just concentrating on my performance. I just want people to see me for who I am, and do my best at singing the song, that’s what I am focusing on,’ she said.
As her selection was announced she stood in front of the judges in the same dress that had brought titters from the crowd at the Glasgow audition. And when she was given the good news she shook Simon Cowell’s hand before doing a little jig of delight in front of Ant and Dec before embracing them both.
There were words of warning, nonetheless, and some of them came from one of the judges. Amanda Holden said, even as Susan was being chosen to progress, ‘She’ll be an instant international superstar – but I don’t think she’ll have longevity. I keep thinking, “Thank God we put her through!” We might not have. There were so many brilliant people who didn’t make it. She could nail it or kill it. She might not be as good as she was that first night and people put that performance on a pedestal. We’ve built her up and the public could go, “She’s too big for her boots, she’s too cocky.” She isn’t. But we don’t like too much success. It’s a shame.
‘Whether she wins or not, I am sure she’s going to have a record contract with Simon and go on to greater things. But this world is fickle. We pick people up and spit them out just as quick. We move on very fast. But who cares? She won’t. This is more than she ever dreamed of.’
She also dismissed the rumours that Susan’s appearance on the show had somehow been fixed, insisting she’d no idea she’d turn into such a big star. ‘To be honest I forgot about her! My husband clearly remembers me coming home from Glasgow and saying, “Oh my God! We found a female Paul Potts, but she’s even better.” But after that I never mentioned her again. I couldn’t believe the controversy about her being a conspiracy. We were hoping for gold and we found it.’
Susan wasn’t the only contestant who progressed, of
course, and 39 other acts stood in the way of her winning the contest. Perhaps it’s worth recording who they are at this stage. Some might go on to achieve fame, many others instantly became obscure; that’s the nature of the beast. But no one could say that weekend in May, what their exact fates would be.
There they all were: Susan, drag artists, wheelbarrow dancers, human saxophones, street artists and several dance groups – including a Greek parody act of Irish folk dancing!
Susan had to take them all on in order to win. Now the public were about to see her live. There were a number of questions that were not yet answered. What would she sing?
And what would she look like?
CHAPTER EIGHT
A
nt and Dec were dressed to the nines. And so they should have been – it was a special night: the first evening of the semi-finals of
Britain’s Got Talent
.
Ant looked at the cameras and said, ‘The final act of the night has come all the way from West Lothian in Scotland.’ The cheering had already started from among the studio audience before he managed to finish even that brief sentence.
Dec continued the dialogue. ‘She is the woman from a tiny village with a big, big voice. I think you know who I am talking about. It’s Susan Boyle!’
It was the night of 24 May and Susan was about to give the watching world its second glimpse of her talent. Even Simon Cowell had to admit to the millions glued to their sets, ‘The whole world is watching Susan Boyle perform tonight. I would not want to be standing where she is right now.’
A brief reprise of her first appearance was followed by some moody shots of Susan looking out over the countryside and a scattering of words from her. ‘In my life I have striven to prove myself, that I can be accepted, that I am not the worthless person people think I am. I have got something to offer,’ she said.
Then it was back to Dec who, with a sweep of his arm, said, ‘Here she is, please welcome Susan Boyle…!’
In the days running up to that Saturday night on ITV the world had been going ‘SuBo’ crazy. Every bit of tittle-tattle, every quote, every comment from Susan or the judges, all the background information from Blackburn had all helped to fire the public’s imagination.
Would SuBo eventually win? Could anyone stop her? Would Demi Moore fly over for the final? Question after question was being asked by a hungry media on behalf of a voracious public.
Susan was competing against seven other acts that night for two places in the following Saturday’s final, and her rivals included dance act Diversity, violinist Sue Son, street performer Nick Hell and ten-year-old singer Natalie Okri, who had been dubbed ‘baby Beyonce’. Another of the contestants that evening was Darth Jackson, the Darth Vader/Michael Jackson impersonator.
Susan was rehearsing wearing the ‘lucky’ dress she had worn for that Glasgow show and she had admitted in the run-up to the evening to feeling ‘very nervous’ ahead of her first live television performance.
‘I never even thought I’d get past the judges. I can’t believe I am in the semi-finals and I’ve been over-whelmed by the public reaction to my first audition. I don’t really know what to expect, but I am just going to go out there and do my best again and hopefully the audience and the judges will like my performance. The ultimate dream for me would be to become a professional singer. Meeting Her Majesty the Queen would be the special icing on the cake as she is very regal and is Britain’s hallmark.
‘If I won I would have a nice holiday, then I would share the money with my family, who have been so supportive and caring,’ she said.
After that devastating debut, many people would assume that Susan needed no further help with her voice. But that wasn’t the case, and Yvie, the
BGT
voice coach – who in the past had worked with Simon Cowell protégés Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke – had been assisting her.
‘She has a God-given incredible raw talent and a passion that is second to none. I have worked with hugely gifted artists, but when it comes to Susan’s genre of music, she is the best I have ever had the pleasure of coaching.
‘She will have the whole nation in tears in the live semi-finals. I’ll be crying, too. This year there are five or six performers in with a chance of going all the way. No one should underestimate the kids – they are definitely the ones to watch. There is a realness and charm about
Susan that you cannot help but love. She’s a normal woman from a wee village in Scotland who happens to have a stunning voice. I was in America when the show first aired. I was watching the news and the presenter started talking about someone on “British Idol”.’
She described how she’d watched in awe when Susan sang. ‘No matter whether she wins or not, I can’t see her jumping into a limo or living a celebrity lifestyle. She was having a right laugh about her mention on
The Simpsons
and I think it’s her fantastic sense of humour that will help carry her through all the hype.
‘She will have on a new frock and have her hair and make-up done, but that will be it. She will be polished up a bit but not transformed. Like Paul Potts, Susan is pure voice. There is no dressing up or special effects.’
Yvie, who was coaching all the semi-finalists, added, ‘I want them all to do well – but of course I would be delighted if we got the first Scottish winner on the show. Whether Susan wins or not she will always be happy as long as she is singing.’
Susan’s entrance after the introduction from Ant and Dec could not have been more different from the nondescript stomp-cum-shuffle of her Glasgow audition: dry ice billowed across the stage as the elegantly dressed Susan – in a bronze dress by the show’s designer, Stephen Adnitt, and lit by a spotlight high above and behind her, stepped forward. Behind her was a constantly moving image of dark blue clouds, lending
an almost ethereal feel to the occasion. Her face seemed a picture of concentration and nerves as she walked towards the microphone, but she managed a smile as she neared it. The song she began to sing was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Memory’, from
Cats
. What those at the show and watching at home didn’t realise was that Susan had been suffering from a cold in the run-up to the evening, so, unlike Glasgow, where she had been sensational from practically the first syllable, she struggled slightly at the start of the song.
Nevertheless her voice, composure and power seemed to grow by the second as she worked her way through the number, finishing to cheers of support.
By the time Ant and Dec had come on stage to talk to her, she was as relaxed as she could be, telling them she felt ‘fantastic’ and the week had been ‘unbelievable’. Had she felt under pressure? ‘What pressure?’ was her quick reply, adding, ‘I have enjoyed every minute of it. I would do it again.’
She blew a kiss to Piers Morgan when he told her she looked beautiful, and he then added, ‘I think you were absolutely brilliant. When the world was going through a pretty tough time and we were looking for a bit of inspiration, along came Susan Boyle. On behalf of the whole world – thank you, Susan.’
As the audience clapped loudly Susan gestured beneficently towards them, causing Amanda Holden to quip, ‘Susan, you’re turning into Eva Peron.’
‘I am just so relieved that it went so fantastically well for you,’ the actress added. ‘I’ve been biting all my acrylic nails off, and you nailed that performance. I am so proud of you… I am proud you represent Britain so brilliantly… So, well done, thank you.’
And then it was Simon’s turn. ‘Susan, you’re one special lady, I have to say…you really are. And you know what – I just want to apologise for…the way we treated you before you sang the first time. You made me and everyone else look very stupid.’
Susan cheekily shrugged and joked, ‘I know nothing. I am from Barcelona’, before exiting stage left with all the assurance of a seasoned professional.
As well as the cold she was suffering from, Susan had hardly slept the Saturday before her appearance. ‘I’m very nervous. I don’t really know what to expect. I’m just going to go out there and do my best again. I haven’t had a dramatic transformation. I just want people to see me for who I am and do my best at singing,’ she confided.
Of course, she was voted through to the final (how could anything else have happened?) although one or two of the reviewers couldn’t resist having little digs at her. One said she had turned into ‘more Hollywood than Hairy Monster’ while another cuttingly remarked: ‘It’s an interesting makeover they’ve given Susan Boyle. Someone’s cleaned half her teeth, dressed her in a new frock and teased her hair up into a novelty gonk’s quiff, so she now looks like a pop star. Albeit, Micky Dolenz.
They overlooked one crucial thing, however. Her voice isn’t actually that great. “Miiiii-dnight?” Only if it’s chucking out time at Glasgow’s Horse Shoe bar. “Not a sound from the pavement?” You wish, luv.’