There's no place like home! Susan Boyle beams as she attends the local village gala in her hometown of Blackburn

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There's no place like home! Susan Boyle beams as she attends the local village gala in her hometown of Blackburn

PUBLISHED: 17:28 EST, 9 June 2012 | UPDATED: 19:44 EST, 9 June 2012

Susan Boyle couldn’t hide her delight as she attended the local village gala in her hometown of Blackburn, West Lothian today.

The multi-millionaire singer was the guest of honour at the annual event and despite worldwide success and recognition, it appeared as if the acknowledgement of her hometown was the most important thing to Susan.

She positively beamed as she walked the red carpet in a matching trouser suit with a tartan collar and red shoes.

Can't hide her delight! Susan Boyle looks thrilled to pose with Disney characters and local children as she attends the annual gala day in her hometown of Blackburn, West Lothian

Young girls in pretty dresses held up an arch of pink and white flowers for her to walk under and Boyle didn’t seem to mind as it hit off her head.

Other highlights including Susan posing for pictures with Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck and some delighted youngsters, who were clearly thrilled to have the former Britain’s Got Talent finalist in their midst.

Susan showed off her playful side as she arrived in an open-top convertible.

Mind your head: Good natured Susan finds it hilarious as her head hits off the floral arch held up by some local children in her hometown today

Lady in red: Susan's bright outfit matches the specially laid on red carpet at the gala day out

The 51-year-old singer appeared fascinated with a toy monkey in the car beside her and was seen joking around with it.

Susan also triumphantly raised her arms above her head and was seen laughing uproariously as she sat in the car.

Susan moved out of her semi-detached home in the West Lothian village and into a new £400,000 home after she found fame.

A cheerful Susan looks like just another local villager as she takes her seat at the Blackburn gala today

However, the performer famously missed the house where her parents had lived and the daily contact with her neighbours so much that she came home.

She told pals she was desperate to return to her modest semi because it's where she feels happy and secure.

Today Susan got into the spirit of things at her house by decorating the end of terrace house with flags and bunting in honour of the occasion.

Playful! The down to earth superstar jokes around as she arrives in a convertible with a toy monkey

Playful! The down to earth superstar jokes around as she arrives in a convertible with a toy monkey

Fans of the star will be happy to see her in good spirits after she threw a tantrum when she had to wait for coffee at a motorway service station just over a week ago.

She is said to have yelled ‘I just want to go home’ before launching into a foul-mouthed tirade and bursting into tears.

Parents covered their children’s ears and onlookers were shocked into silence as the woman catapulted to fame on Britain’s Got Talent went into meltdown.

Happy to be home: Susan is thrilled to take part in the gala in her hometown of Blackburn, West Lothian today

Raise your hands if you're a Susan Boyle fan! The singer gets into the spirit of things at the annual village event

However, a source close to Miss Boyle said: ‘Everyone knows that Susan is not able to express her emotions as many would which adds to her frustration.

‘She wanted to go home as she was tired and upset and wanted to be in the sanctuary of her own house.

‘She is very grateful for the amazing life she is now living and wouldn’t swop it for the world.

‘Susan is very sorry to anyone she upset.’

A spokesman for Miss Boyle declined to comment.

Getting into the party spirit: Susan even decorated her house before leaving for the village festivities today

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2156994/Susan-Boyle-help-beaming-attends-local-village-gala-hometown-Blackburn-West-Lothian-today.html#ixzz2JaIxGsBE
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graysea

‏@MusicKitNet

Best Selling #iTunes in 2 countries (Cambodia,Philippines): I Dreamed a Dream - Susan Boyle > http://bit.ly/WKjENo <pic.twitter.com/rVSo5cQ5

graysea · 30 January 2013 00:01 GMT

Scottish Variety Award nomination for up and coming politicial star

By Douglas Barrie 30 January 2013 00:01 GMT

Variety award: Lauren King (left) with other MSYPs and Alex Neil MSP.SYP

A Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament from Wishaw has been nominated for a Scottish Variety Award.

Lauren King will come up against two other MYSPs from Glasgow and another from Edinburgh in the 'Up-and-Coming Politician of the Year' at the awards.

The 17-year-old was elected as an MSYP for Motherwell and Wishaw in April 2011, and is also the chair of North Lanarkshire Youth Council.

She'll now attend the ceremony at Glasgow's Crowne Plaza, alongside big names such as Emeli Sande and Susan Boyle, on March 23.

Lauren said: "I got the email yesterday morning congratulating me and how it is fantastic recognition for all of the hard work over the last two years.

"I'm delighted to be honest.

"It'll be a really good night. I don't know if I'll win but we'll see when voting opens next week."

The Clyde Valley High School pupil has always shown a keen interest in politics according to headmaster Ian Somerville, who said the school was 'very proud' of her.

He added: "Lauren is very deserving of this accolade, as a champion of youngsters rights and responsibilities ever since she started at the school.

"She is an active member of the pupil council, which focuses on equal opportunities for all youngsters.

"Lauren has a remarkable dedication to her studies as well as her young political work."

http://local.stv.tv/motherwell/news/local-democracy/211754-member-of-scottish-youth-parliament-nominated-for-variety-awards/

graysea

Simon Cowell beats Susan Boyle, One Direction on reality TV rich list

Published Tuesday, Jan 29 2013, 00:01 GMT | By Mayer Nissim

Simon Cowell has topped the rankings of the richest reality TV stars in the UK.

The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent boss heads up Now magazine's Reality TV Rich List with an estimated £225 million - more than ten times second-placed Susan Boyle, who is worth £22 million.

Simon Cowell
Judges arriving at the 'Britian's Got Talent' auditions
London, England - 07.02.12

Half of the top 50 have featured on singing shows like The X Factor and Pop Idol, while seven have featured on "scripted reality" programmes like The Only Way Is Essex.

Britain's Got Talent accounts for five placings on the list, as does Big Brother, while only two have featured on The Apprentice and one became rich via Dragon's Den.

Rylan Clark
The X Factor finalists at the rehearsal studios
London, England - 12.11.12
Mandatory Credit: WENN.com

The magazine predicts that X Factor loser and Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan Clark is on course to earn over £1 million by the end of 2013.

Top 20 Richest Reality TV stars according toNow are as follows:

1. Simon Cowell - £225m
2. Susan Boyle - £22m
3. One Direction - £20m each
4. Katie Price - £17.5m
5. Cheryl Cole - £15m
6. Will Young - £13.5m
7. Leona Lewis - £12m
8. Levi Roots - £12m
9. Myleene Klass - £11m
10. Francis Boulle - £10.1m
11. Kimberly Walsh - £6.8m
12. Gareth Gates - £6.5m
13. Nicola Roberts - £6.5m
14. Peter Andre - £6.3m
15. Sarah Harding - £6.3m
16. Alexandra Burke - £6.1m
17. Paul Potts - £6m
18. Nadine Coyle - £6m
19. JLS - £6m
20. Paul Torrisi - £5.5m

Read more: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/s103/the-x-factor/news/a454452/simon-cowell-beats-susan-boyle-one-direction-on-reality-tv-rich-list.html#ixzz2JNmT4ypJFollow us: @digitalspy on Twitter | digitalspyuk on Facebook

graysea

A special note to Susan Boyle fans who visit this site and the video and radio blogs, as well.

Hi Susan fans. Thank you!

How exciting! Just yesterday we went over the 50,000 mark. I am happy that so many who visit, love to follow Susan's journey as much as I do. I share news articles that I read and items that I find every day so that fans can keep up and know about the amazing Susan Boyle. The blogs I do for Susan Boyle are a labor of love for a wonderful, amazing super singing star who inspires me and many others, as well.

I started the blogs so that I would be able to keep up with the stories and performances of Susan. I wanted to use it like a file, so that when I wanted to go back and look up what Susan previously did, I could just go on the blog and see it. The video blog came about because I enjoyed the videos so much and the dedication of some fans to do them. I set up the blog just to keep the videos. I try to keep as much of a record on Susan as possible. Recently I changed the Radio blog to bring attention to and in recognition of Susan's wonderful work, with special attention to Susan's part in the revival of Les Mis.

Also, I like to include some wonderful posters made by the fans and as many various news write-ups that I read. Now I see a lot of Susan fans love to do that too, and I am delighted. I just love following Susan's activities.

I have been fortunate to get picture with Susan at five different events and saw her at the Today Show performances in New York when she sang on the plaza. On some of the recent posts, I have inserted Susan's pictures, as I feel the media sometimes "forgets" to include Susan's picture.

To any fan who comes here daily, and would like to post a comment, feel free to join the free blog. I do hope you will keep on celebrating Susan Boyle's accomplishments.

Thank you for visiting. Come again!

graysea

Susan Boyle helped spark ‘Les Miserables’ movie, says producer Cameron Mackintosh

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:12:00

Susan Boyle Photos

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Susan Boyle Videos

Posted in news.Scotsman.com

Britain’s Got Talent returns to West Lothian

Valerie McEwen at the Britain's Got Talent auditions

By DALE MILLER
Published on Saturday 26 January 2013 12:00

SUSAN Boyle may have been missing from yesterday’s Britain’s Got Talent auditions just three miles from her family home, but that didn’t stop the West Lothian songstress inspiring a new batch of hopefuls.

People arrived from 9.30am to queue in freezing conditions and falling snow in the Morrisons car park in Bathgate for their shot at stardom.

Amongst them was 47-year-old Valerie McEwen, a singer who has been wheelchair bound for the past two years following a fall that damaged discs in her lower back.

Ms McEwen, who is waiting for an operation through the NHS, said she had been on the brink of giving up on her dream after knockbacks from TheX Factor and The Voice last year.

However, a frank conversation with a neighbour reminded her that SuBo’s stunning breakthrough with a rendition of I Dreamed a Dream had come at the age of 48, and despite the Scottish singer’s unusual appearance.

The Blackburn star was eventually crowned runner-up of the TV talent show in 2009 and has since sung for the Queen and sold millions of records.

Ms McEwen said: “I think people see past me, they don’t actually see me. All they see is this chair.

“Sometimes I go into auditions and they go through my name before I even open my mouth, it’s pretty disheartening.

“But I thought ‘it’s 2013, it’s a new year, it’s a new start’ so I’m here.

“I’m not going to get it if I don’t chase it. You have to keep your dreams alive or else you’ll never do anything.”

Ms McEwen defied what she described as “excruciating pain” to stand up inside the performance tent and deliver a rousing version of Adele’s ballad One and Only.

The two-minute performance was delivered direct to camera rather than a panel of judges, but still earned a round of applause from fellow hopefuls huddled outside in the snow.

The reaction prompted on-site crew to request a second song from Ms McEwen, who also performed an original track.

Harthill student Siobhan Haslin’s effort – a “mash-up” of her own songs accompanied by guitar – was also applauded. It was a nice reward for the 17-year-old, who said: “There’s a lot of talent here.”

The biggest headache was the freezing conditions. Auditions started an hour late, with the crew buying an extra heater to keep the performance tent cosy.

Ms Haslin said: “Playing guitar might be a bit difficult with numb fingers.”

Others like mother Linda McCrindle, 47, stood in the queue while nine-year-old daughter Emalee kept her vocal chords warm by sitting in the car. “It’s dedication,” Ms McCrindle said.

Contestants now have to wait until at least next month to learn if they have progressed to the next stage of auditions and a live performance in front of judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.

SUSAN BOYLE - Living the dream

THE ascent to fame of one of the world’s most unconventional singing stars started at a preliminary audition for Britain’s Got Talent.

Susan Boyle applied as contestant number 43212 in Glasgow in August 2008. She was accepted into the next round of auditions, singing I Dreamed a Dream from stage musical Les Misérables at the west coast city’s Clyde Auditorium. The performance triggered a standing ovation from the audience - a reaction that contrasted with initial expectations.

Judge Amanda Holden confessed on air: “We were all being very cynical and this is the greatest wake-up call ever.”

http://www.scotsman.com/news/britain-s-got-talent-returns-to-west-lothian-1-2761043?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Susan Boyle: Singer and Now Businesswoman

By Marie Sheahan Brown

Who can forget the YouTube masterpiece? She strode and sashayed onto the stage with golden stature and confidence. She sparred wittily with the three famous judges, wearied by their long day of auditions in Glasgow, Scotland. She didn’t look the part of a “professional singer,” although one might perceive that being “currently unemployed” at forty-seven left little extra for beauty-shop pampering. Was she, rather, a comedienne? Susan Boyle audition

Then she sang. The formerly skeptical audience stood enraptured, tears welling as she belted out “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Misérables with stunning clarity and passion.

More than five years after the seven-minute audition video aired on Britain’s Got Talent on April 11, 2009, and promptly hit worldwide news feeds, multitudes in America and beyond remember Susan Boyle. Since she first broke Amazon pre-sale records in September 2009, millions have bought her albums. Each year, a new carefully crafted album has been released in time for Christmas. Since 2009, five albums have garnered sixty-three gold and ninety-four platinum sales levels in forty-two countries. Her sixth album, Hope, will be released on October 21 in the United States.

Scottish and United Kingdom audiences thrilled to Miss Boyle’s first full-length concert tours in 2013 and 2014. Now she’s coming to America—home of an immediate and strong support base—starting in San Diego on October 8, and singing her way across the southern half of the United States at venues in twenty cities. A sweep through the northern states could likely follow in the future.

See http://www.susanboylemusic.com/us/events

Many have written about Susan Boyle’s difficult and graced life. Her 2010 autobiography, The Woman I Was Born to Be, is a good source. Now fifty-three, she carefully revealed late in 2013 that, after decades of mistaken assumptions, she had finally been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. The relief of self-knowledge strengthens and encourages her after a lifetime of dealing with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks, and some difficulty in handling emotions and relating comfortably to people.

“This is a point: People may have problems,” she states in a documentary, “but they’ve got other things as well. And they’ve got a lot more to offer.” (Gammon, Lottie, produced, filmed, and directed. “There’s Something About Susan.” Firecracker Films Ltd. for ITV, 45:37 minutes. 2013)

Fewer analyses have considered her role as a small businesswoman and philanthropist whose personal success has enhanced the lives and small businesses of countless others not only in her native Scotland but also in, for example, America.

Miss Boyle, easily mistaken for a stately five feet ten in the famous video, is, in fact, barely over five feet tall with soft, dainty hands and feet—a huggable China doll. So she does qualify as a smallbusinesswoman despite her multimillions in sales, which also benefit business giants like Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited; SYCOmusic (Simon Cowell); Simon & Schuster, Inc.; Amazon; and, more recently, concert tour bus companies. In significant other ways, she retains her focus on the little ones.

The woman who had “never been married, never been kissed” and remains a virgin has, since 2009, given birth with astonishing fecundity. Lewis Hyde well describes her kind of gift and fertility in his 1983 classic, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property: “I have hoped . . . to speak of the inner gift that we accept as the object of our labor, and the outer gift that has become a vehicle of culture. I am not concerned with gifts given in spite or fear, nor those gifts we accept out of servility or obligation; my concern is the gift we long for, the gift that, when it comes, speaks commandingly to the soul and irresistibly moves us.”

Mr. Hyde first explores traditional “gift economies,” in which citizens are considered wealthy not according to how much they acquire but how much they give. In fictional form, Jean M. Auel’s well-researched Earth’s Children series (The Clan of the Cave Bear and five sequels) describes the creativity and ingenuity that led people to survive, to form communities, and to work cooperatively for mutual benefit. Goods, services, storytelling and musical talents, art, and many other gifts were appreciated in deeper ways than they might be in a typical “market economy.”

According to reviewer JoAnn Schwartz, “Above all, Hyde is interested in examining the effect our current immersion in the market economy and the myth of the free market has both on our view of gifts and on our ability to give and receive them. The market economy is deliberately impersonal, but the whole purpose of the ‘gift economy’ is to establish and strengthen the relationships between us, to connect us one to the other. It is this element of relationship which leads Hyde to speak of gift exchange as ‘erotic’ commerce, opposing eros (the principle of attraction, union, involvement which binds together) to logos (reason and logic in general, the principle of differentiation in particular). A market economy is an emanation of logos.

“In a market economy,” Ms. Schwartz continues, “one can hoard one’s goods without losing wealth. Indeed, wealth is increased by hoarding—although we generally call it ‘saving.’ In contrast, in a gift economy, wealth is decreased by hoarding, for it is the circulation of the gift(s) within the community that leads to increase—increase in connections, increase in relationship strength. Through this book, Hyde helps us focus on the importance of gifts, their flow and movement, and the impact that the modern market place has had on the circulation of gifts.” (http://southerncrossreview.org/4/schwartz.html)

Susan Boyle does appreciate the financial security that she had never known, especially in the fearsome years after her mother died in 2007, when Miss Boyle kept her house cold so that she could afford the heating bill. Yet more important, Susan Boyle has said all along, “I sing to make people happy.” When she was a girl, the gift spoke “commandingly to the soul”—her soul. She honed, honed, honed the gift to perfection over decades of world obscurity. She sees with gratitude and humility the effects of this gift on people worldwide. When this gift is pointed out to her in personal conversation, she bows her head and lowers her eyes shyly. “Thank you.”

Miss Boyle’s fame and financial success have boosted tourism modestly in West Lothian, Scotland, with its pastoral more than spectacular scenery, a region that has suffered from bouts of economic depression and unemployment over the past few centuries. In February 2013, for example, following a centuries-old pattern, the main employer in the area—Halls of Broxburn meat processing plant—was closed by foreign owners, leaving 1,700 unemployed.

Lorraine Campbell co-owns and manages The Balbairdie—a nicely refurbished old hotel and pub in Bathgate, West Lothian. When the economy suffers, The Balbairdie feels it. Asked how she copes, Ms. Campbell replied, “You just keep going.” Happily, the local economy has improved some since 2013, according to Ms. Campbell in April 2014.

Miss Boyle has engaged experts like Andy Stephens, manager; Nicola Phillips, publicist; and Andrew Panton, creative and vocal director, to name a few. She has provided jobs for local personal assistants who handle correspondence, scheduling, wardrobe consultation, and myriad other details; gardeners; carpenters to renovate the council house she grew up and still lives in (her first big post-Britain’s Got Talent purchase); a housekeeper; women who fix her hair, do her nails, and apply her makeup for special public appearances and photo sessions; and others who tend to basic needs of a now-busy celebrity who still prefers to live in her home village, stop in at her favorite small shops and establishments, and take the bus.

Miss Boyle has also given seed money and sponsorship for creative business and charitable ventures in her local community and beyond. One start-up, Boyle’s Boutique, is an extended-family cottage industry that sells, among others, products featuring the new Boyle Tartan created for the family. Products may be ordered online.

Susan Boyle’s very capable personal assistant Sadie Boyle (no relation) says Miss Boyle gets about four hundred emails weekly, many requesting her generosity. This kind of response to another’s fame and fortune is not uncommon.

More unusual, and a clearer example of the fruits of the “gift economy,” is the generation of a worldwide community of Susan Boyle supporter-fans who have formed friendships, discovered or rekindled their own creative gifts, invested thousands of volunteer hours, spread financial generosity, and—to a small extent—started creative cottage enterprises for profit or merely to cover expenses.

Several unofficial Susan Boyle fansites live on the Internet. The first and largest, still flourishing, is www.susan-boyle.com. On April 11, 2009, Paul Wood, a London construction worker, watched Miss Boyle’s audition on TV and immediately put up a website. Starting within hours after the audition aired, people from many continents to whom Susan Boyle’s gift spoke “commandingly to the soul” were “irresistibly move[d]” to find out anything they could about her on the Internet. They frequently stumbled across Mr. Wood’s hastily launched site with its prolific discussion threads generating hundreds of written comments every day in the first two months of Miss Boyle’s fame.

To bring some order to the conversational chaos, Mr. Wood launched a companion Forum in June 2009 with more sophisticated software, accessed through the main website. Anyone could (and still can) join for free. The main rules are that one not be an Internet troll (a term and experience many had never heard of), that one behave reasonably civilly as outlined in posted guidelines, and that one not use the Forum itself for commercial purposes (more on that later).

Volunteer moderators and techies keep the discussions and online experience on an even keel. Online advertisements generated by Google AdSense and Amazon sales linked to the website (“SuBo Store”) help pay for the normal operational expenses.

In early 2010, Mr. Wood announced that he was going to auction off the website (some fifty thousand registered members) and its Forum (a few thousand registered members at the time). The worldwide member community could not bear the prospect of being taken over by some unknown commercial entity with other goals. So they decided to bid on the fansite themselves. A few members—by no means wealthy—each voluntarily loaned trusted fellow members a few thousand dollars to buy the fansite during the auction. The effort succeeded in July 2010.

Navigating through some tensions and hurt feelings (typical in any community anywhere), the worldwide Susan Boyle Fans International, Inc. (SBFII) community established itself as a non-profit corporation registered in Delaware, USA. SBFII elects a multinational volunteer board of directors; keeps meticulous financial records and files annual tax returns; maintains bylaws; and holds online annual meetings and elections engaging active members. Technically not a charity, SBFII uses AdSense and SuBo Store income to cover modest expenses and keep a healthy bank balance. Funds left over from voluntary collections (often for tasteful gifts for Miss Boyle for special occasions) are donated to a charity of Susan Boyle’s choice, frequently benefitting children in Scotland. By December 2011, SBFII repaid all interest-free loans given by members to buy the website; it remains debt free. No member gets paid for services to SBFII or personally benefits financially.

From the beginning, even silver-haired grandmothers proficient only with email learned to navigate the fansites in order to participate in a community of people who have experienced an inexplicable response to Susan Boyle—both her singing and her unique way of being—unlike their response to other favorite singers. Within months, members began gathering in person around the globe (often in restaurants, boosting local economies). They attended (and surreptitiously filmed and posted to the fansites for the enjoyment of those who could not attend) Miss Boyle’s performances in various cities (Britain’s Got Talent tour venues in the UK; Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, and more). Supporter-fans flocked to these events even though—until only 2013, when she first tried her own full-length concerts in Scotland—Miss Boyle was slated to sing just one, two, maybe three songs. These gatherings supported local hotels, B+Bs, restaurants, cab drivers, shops, and other travel-related businesses.

Miss Boyle and her team soon experienced that supporter-fans who came to these early events were older or at least more mature than stereotypical rowdies at, for example, Justin Bieber concerts. They saw that typical Susan Boyle supporter-fans are responsible, respectful, fun loving, generative. They include retired or active professionals—teachers, nurses, techies, writers, musicians, artists, farmers, truckers, businesspeople, social workers, radio hosts, professors, lawyers, homemakers, construction workers, postmasters, foresters.

To most gatherings (usually at restaurants) supporter-fans bring homemade memorabilia to share, including commemorative buttons and red scarves to identify themselves in various venues. The popularity of such items led SBFII to add another linked site, “Fan Creations,” linked in turn to the creators’ individual websites. Products include non-Susan-Boyle-related fan creations. Currently, three members offer SuBotique Hand Painted Apparel; Creative Images by tweek (Buttons, Mugs, etc.); and Susan Boyle Professional Singer chronicles gathered from news and other sources.

SBFII members often post creative ideas and images to discuss in writing with one another. Memorably, in 2009, a member from Texas, one from Iowa, and other volunteers, coordinated an international quilting bee. Supporter-fans from every continent, including Antarctica, created and mailed squares for a handmade quilt presented to Miss Boyle at a brunch following her debut solo appearance on the Todayshow on November 23—the day her first album, I Dreamed A Dream, was released in the United States and quickly broke world records in several categories.

Members can upload Susan-related videos that they have created; share poems that they’ve written; upload posters that they’ve designed digitally to document Miss Boyle’s career and accomplishments; upload news reports of supporter-fan activities, complete with photographs; post fine pencil drawings or paintings displaying talent the artists had only recently discovered; and offer a place where members can contribute their own essays. These essays, sometimes written in French or other non-English languages, often try to explain how the wee singer with the big voice; the shy woman who communicates profoundly—cor ad cor loquitur—through music others have written; the multimillionaire who stays in her small lifelong home and still takes the bus—the essentially inexplicable Susan Boyle—“irresistibly moves” them.

SBFII and other volunteers take responsibility to daily and positively post or re-post Susan Boyle news, photos, and encounters on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Their Internet involvement began immediately when Miss Boyle became famous—and once again experienced the bullying known since childhood, only this time inflicted by some members of the media and anonymous commentators. She writes in her autobiography, “What I didn’t know then, because I didn’t have a computer at the time, was that every time there was a mean comment about me in the press, a dozen messages of support would appear in response. On the Internet there was a growing community of fans. I had no idea how many people out there in the world felt moved to stick up for me, and I want to thank everybody for that.” (The Woman I Was Born to Be, pages 188–189)

Miss Boyle’s professional team also encourages creativity from fans. Starting with the first documentary of her life, Susan Boyle: I Dreamed A Dream, produced in 2009 by Talkback Thames, fans were invited via the official www.susanboylemusic.com site (picked up and promoted by volunteer sites) to send short videos of themselves saying “Hello, Susan!” with backdrops representing their locations. Several clips from around the world were chosen for the documentary. As a lead-up to Miss Boyle’s second album, The Gift, she held a worldwide “Susan’s Search” competition, inviting any amateur singer to upload a brief selfie singing “Silent Night.” The winner, Amber Stassi, a thirty-three-year-old paramedic from Brewerton, New York, sang “Do You Hear What I Hear?” with Miss Boyle on the album and at the 2010 outdoor Today show appearance in New York City.

In the 2013 and 2014 concert tours in Scotland and the United Kingdom, Miss Boyle and her team selected local choirs to serve as back-up choruses in every city, receiving standard financial compensation. Already individual choir members in the United States are tweeting: “Aaliyah Buchanan ‏@Itsuko_Sora I’m to pumped, i get to sing for Susan Boyle!!!!” and “Drew Mikuska ‏@DrewMikuska Hahahahaha I’m singing backup for Susan Boyle.”

Already in the twenty cities spanning the southern United States, supporter-fans from as far away as Australia and Scotland are buying tickets. They are organizing pre-concert dinner-camaraderie gatherings for supporter-fans, some of whom they have never met in person but know through their written posts on fansites. Restaurants, hotels, theaters, airlines, public transportation providers, cab drivers, and many small businesses will benefit. Susan Boyle, her team, and numerous music-related vendors will profit.

Yet in Susan Boyle’s “gift economy,” which she neither forecasted nor manipulated, money can facilitate but cannot possibly buy the greatest benefits to the community in which she finds herself to be the generator and principal member. In this higher economy, she is both blessed herself and a blessing to countless others.

As recently reported on her official website, Susan says about her upcoming United States concert tour: “This is a brilliant moment for me. The past five years have been incredible, and it just keeps getting better. I have spoken so often about wanting to tour America and be able to visit different cities for the first time—I’m so excited. This really will be fantastic, and I can’t wait for October. The US embraced and supported me from the beginning, and it really feels like a second home. So I can’t wait to get on the road and perform there.”

Source:Small Business Exchange Northeast