Internet's power makes singing Scot a global star

Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009
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Not only is this a great vocal performance, but it also provides a teachable moment for us all. The lesson is an old one: "Never judge a book by it's cover". 

Here, 47 Year old Susan Boyle wows the judges with her performance in the auditions for Britains Got Talent, singing I dreamed a dream from Les Miserables.

(The video, as of the time of this posting, now has garnered almost 15 million views. )

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April 16, 2009 

Internet's power makes singing Scot a global star 
By BEN McCONVILLE 
Associated Press Writer

BLACKBURN, Scotland — In a week, Susan Boyle has gone from karaoke and her local church choir to global fame and an invitation to the Oprah Winfrey show.

The frumpy 47-year-old, who says she's never been kissed, has gained celebrity fans and millions of admirers — including a fair number of men — since she wowed judges on the TV show "Britain's Got Talent."(enlarge photo) 
Susan Boyle, who's performance on the television show 'Britain's Got Talent' wowed the judges, gives the thumbs up at her home in Blackburn, Scotland, Thursday April 16, 2009. The frumpy 47-year-old, who says she's never been kissed, has gained celebrity fans and millions of admirers - including a fair number of men - since appearing on the show. Her fame has been fueled by new technology, with a clip of her performance viewed more than 12 million times on YouTube.(AP Photo/Andrew Milligan-pa) 


Her fame has been fueled by new technology, with a clip of her performance viewed more than 12 million times on YouTube.

"Susan can't help herself, she just sings whenever she can sing," said Jackie Russell, the manager of the Happy Valley Hotel in Blackburn, Scotland, where Boyle occasionally sings karaoke. "We weren't surprised by her talent, but we were surprised by the reaction around the world."

Until recently, few outside the village of Blackburn had heard of Boyle, who lives in a modest row house that she shared for years with her widowed mother, who died two years ago. In the past few days, she has appeared on TV around the world. Demi Moore is an avowed fan.

"It has been surreal for me," Boyle told The Associated Press on Thursday in Blackburn, 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of Edinburgh. "I'm going to be on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' CBS and other American networks