It’s been 10 years since Scottish singer Susan Boyle auditioned on “Britain’s Got Talent” and blew the judges — and the world — away with her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream.”
Unassuming, short, and shy, Boyle didn’t have the look of a superstar. But when she started to sing, the crowd surged to its feet and began to scream. Boyle’s powerful vocals launched her into a career that has taken her all over the world and changed her life.
Now, the world-renowned singer has returned to television in America’s Got Talent’s: The Champions.
This season features former champions and runners-up of America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent, now competing against one another. And Boyle is still blowing us all away.
The 57-year-old singer wowed the crowd and earned an iconic Golden Buzzer with her rendition of “Wild Horses.”
Boyle has no delusions about the crowd’s reaction to her during her first audition in 2009.
“Most of the audience was laughing,” she said. “But when I opened my mouth, that seemed to change. You don’t expect people to actually, you know, be that excited about you. Before ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, people saw me as someone quite ordinary.”
She said she was looking forward to seeing judge Simon Cowell again and performing for him.
Back when Boyle auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent, Cowell was initially skeptical of her appearance. But once he heard her sing, he became her fiercest advocate. Now, he describes her as what shows like Britain’s Got Talent are all about.
When Boyle stepped onto the “Champions” stage, she acknowledged the cheers with a silly shaking of her hips, a throwback to the saucy dance she did during “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2009. At the time, it made the audience laugh in embarrassment, including Cowell. Now, it elicited screams. Cowell, meanwhile, burst into laughter. He looked absolutely thrilled to see the woman that had earned so much of his respect.
Boyle’s “Champions” performance was dignified and beautiful but still full of passion.
The audience could not stay in its seats, surging to its feet to cheer and applaud multiple times. When the song ended, the room burst into applause while Simon Cowell beamed with pride.
“You know, Susan, I can’t think of any contestant who has defined this show better than you,” he said when the applause finally died down. “You’ve made a huge difference in a lot of people’s lives and I’m absolutely thrilled that you’re here.”
Fellow judge Howie Mandell pointed out that Boyle’s talent has turned her into a household name — the “Susan Boyle effect”, meaning a moment that stuns people in the best way possible.
Boyle, meanwhile, was visibly suppressing tears at the judges’ warm words.
Then judge Mel B spoke up.
“I just want to say what an absolute honor and a pleasure it is to be sitting here and listening to you, your angelic voice,” she said. “And I wanna be the woman that gives you something that you deserve.”
With that, Mel B stood up and pounded her Golden Buzzer, sending the audience into furious applause. Even the judges leapt to their feet to clap. Boyle, meanwhile, looked visibly overwhelmed as golden confetti rained down around her. Though she was blinking back tears, she had a huge smile on her face.
Host Terry Crews ran out onstage to give her a hug.
Judges Mel B and Simon Cowell also made their way through the confetti rain to congratulate Boyle. Cowell even took a quiet moment to tell Boyle how proud he was and to remind her to look out at the crowd and remember all that she had accomplished.
He then blew her a kiss from the judges’ table as she couldn’t hold her tears back anymore.
Crews waved her off by calling to the crowd: “Susan Boyle, a legend!” It must have been overwhelming for her to hear.
The Goxlden Buzzer has been a part of “America’s Got Talent” since Season 9.
It allows a performer to go straight to the live shows, skipping several rounds of competition. Judges have to make the decision to use it very carefully since they only have one chance for every season.
Past Golden Buzzer winners include Mandy Harvey, a deaf singer who performed an original song and Grace VanderWaal, a 12-year-old ukulele player and singer who went on to win the season and release an EP.
The “Champions” season isn’t over yet, but Boyle got it off to a very exciting start. Whatever happens, the singer from a little village in Scotland is continuing to do great things. Though it’s been a decade since the world first fell in love with her, Susan Boyle continues to inspire others to follow their dreams and to know that it’s never too late for their life to begin.
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