Susan Boyle

Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who rose to international fame in 2009 as a contestant on the third series of the television competition Britain's Got Talent, where she finished as runner-up. Following her appearance on the show, she signed recording contracts with Syco Music in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States. She went on to become one of the most successful recording artists of the 21st century, selling more than 25 million records worldwide.

Boyle grew up in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland. She was born to Patrick Boyle, a miner and World War II veteran, and Bridget Boyle, a shorthand typist, and was the youngest of four brothers and five sisters. Believing for much of her life that she had suffered a learning disability due to oxygen deprivation at birth, she was later informed in 2012–13 that she had been misdiagnosed and is on the autism spectrum with an above-average IQ. After leaving school, she participated in government training programmes, performed at local venues, took vocal lessons from coach Fred O'Neil, attended the Edinburgh Acting School, and recorded a demo tape in 1998.

In August 2008, Boyle applied to audition for Britain's Got Talent. Her televised first-round audition in April 2009, featuring her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables, gained widespread media attention. She advanced to the finals after winning the public vote in the semi-finals with a rendition of "Memory" from the musical Cats, ultimately finishing in second place behind the dance troupe Diversity. After a brief stay at a private clinic due to exhaustion following the final, she joined the official Britain's Got Talent tour.

Boyle released her debut studio album, I Dreamed a Dream, in November 2009. It became the fastest-selling debut album of all time in the United Kingdom and achieved major international commercial success. Her second release, a Christmas album titled The Gift (2010), topped both the UK and US album charts, making her the first female artist to achieve simultaneous top positions on both charts with two different albums in the same year. She subsequently released several additional studio albums, including Someone to Watch Over Me in 2011, Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage in 2012, Home for Christmas in 2013, Hope in 2014, and A Wonderful World in 2016.

Throughout her career, Boyle expanded into musical theatre and acting. Her life story was adapted into the stage production I Dreamed a Dream: The Musical in 2012. She made her feature film acting debut as Eleanor Hopewell in the 2013 film The Christmas Candle. Additionally, she performed for Pope Benedict XVI during his 2010 tour of Britain and featured in several television specials and documentaries.

Following the release of her seventh album in 2016, Boyle took a career hiatus. She returned in 2019 for her ten-year anniversary to release the compilation album Ten and embark on a tour. In subsequent years, she maintained a low profile due to health concerns, including suffering a stroke in 2022, before returning to the recording studio in 2025. Her accolades include three Guinness World Records, a World Music Award, a Japan Gold Disc Award, a Scottish Music Award, and two Grammy Award nominations.