NEW YORK May 29, 2014 (AP)

graysea

Susan Boyle looks the part in tartan jacket at Highland Games

www.dailymail.co.uk

No one was in any doubt where Susan Boyle was born and raised on Saturday, when she stepped out for the West Lothian Highland Games 2014.

Susan Boyle is this year's Chieftain at the West Lothian Highland Games and British Pipe Band Championships

Thousands of competitors have now signed up for the EFR British Pipe Band Championships in Bathgate next weekend.

The Championships, which attract competitors from across Scotland, the UK and beyond, will run alongside West Lothian Highland Games in the town with the day’s events being called Bathgate 2014.

And West Lothian superstar Susan Boyle has been named chieftain of the event which takes place on Saturday, May 31.

One ticket, priced at £10 for an adult and £5 for a child, will offer access to both Meadow Park and Burgh Muir Park where there will be fun for all the family including Highland dancing, heavy athletics competitions and pipe band competitions.

Matt Purdie, who is on the organising committee, said: “We are absolutely delighted that, for the first time, these two fantastic events are being held on the same day offering a whole day of fun and entertainment for all the family.

“It is going to be a fantastic day out in Bathgate for fans of Scottish music and culture.”

The EFR British Pipe Band Championships, the second biggest pipe band championship in the world and the first major of the year, is set to attract around 4000 competitors. Bathgate hosted the event last year for the first time as part of a three-year deal.

Councillor Tom Kerr, Provost of West Lothian Council said: “It’s a real coup for West Lothian to host the British Pipe Band Championships and we are very excited about the event for 2014 and of course welcoming West Lothian’s very own Susan Boyle – it’s great to have her support for such a prominent event for the region.

“We are very much looking forward to welcoming bands and visitors from all over the world to West Lothian.”

The Calor Scotland West Lothian Highland Games are now in their 43rd year and attract thousands of people to Bathgate each year from across Scotland.

Tickets are available at www.ticketweb.co.uk. For more information visit www.bathgate2014.com.

A full list of competing bands can be found at http://www.rspba.org/html/contestdraw.php?id=21.

Another article:

http://news.uk.msn.com/in-pictures/braveheart-subo-encounters-muscle-men-and-pythons-at-highland-games293877?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

graysea

Graeme Shinwell

Susan Boyle is this year's Chieftain at West Lothian Highand Games and British Pipe Band Championships in Bathgate.

Susan looks might proud leading her countrymen, as we all are of Susan.

Thank you Graeme for the wonderful pictures.

graysea

West Lothian Council's Photos · West Lothian Council's Page

West Lothian Council added 10 new photos.

43 mins · Edited ·

Blue skies and sunshine was the order of the day at the West Lothian Highand Games and British Pipe Band Championships in Bathgate today, where Susan Boyle was this year's Chieftain.
We've captured the flavour of the day in a video at the council's YouTube channel on the following link: http://youtu.be/2qe8G29qCAE
You can also view more than 100 pictures at our Flickr site on:www.flickr.com/westlothiancouncil

Susan Boyle is wearing her Boyle Family Tartan, specially made outfit for the event. Fans like to believe the red strips in the plaid pattern represents the red scarfs worn by fans around the world when they attend Susan's events.

West Lothian Council's photo.

graysea

Fantastic! 200,000 viewers. Thank you!

To Susan Boyle:

You have been an inspiration to fans worldwide. You have given so much enjoyment and excitement in all you do. Because of you, this blog was created to keep track of your eye-opening wonderful world events. We fans have traveled all over the world with you and loved every baby step you took. Following you now is another level of excitement for fans and it's because of the giant steps you took to give fans your very successful concert tours in Scotland and UK. Keep on, keeping on. You are doing great! Looking forward to your USA Tour!

We Love You Susan!

Thank you!

I want to express my appreciation and thanks to all the fans who visit the

"Susan Boyle - GraySea" blog site. It is a pleasure to be posting the wonderful events and happenings of Susan Boyle. I will continue to post as much as I can. I wish to thank the artistic fans who take the time to make the fantastic posters and the creative fans who make the beautiful/inspirational videos of Susan's performances. This blog comes to life with your talented contributions. Also a special thank you to the fans who share their personal pictures and stories to make this fan site what it is. Without sharing by the fans, the blog would lose the personal touch that shows Susan how much we appreciate and care for the marvelous adventure we are having following her professional career. We absolute love her! Thank you, again.

Susan Boyle is a worldwide star loved by all. The following numbers and countries are on my stat page and it shows the countries where the viewers are from and the count of the number of viewers. Top "All Time" figures of all the viewers since the beginning. Below is the total viewers for the past week. (Note: Scotland is included in the UK numbers)

All Time Entry	Pageviews
United States	107715
United Kingdom	21152
Canada	11729
Russia	8071
Ukraine	6503
Germany	4183
France	3237
Australia	1852
Poland	1789
Malaysia	1371

This past week:

Entry Pageviews

United States 1186

Ukraine 172

United Kingdom 161

Russia 136

Iran 103

Poland 65

Germany 58

France 51

Iraq 49

Indonesia 42

graysea

graysea

A Confident Susan Boyle Readies 1st US Tour

NEW YORK May 29, 2014 (AP)

By MESFIN FEKADU AP Music Writer

Five years after her musical breakthrough, Susan Boyle says she's feeling confident and comfortable — and ready to launch her first U.S. tour.

The 53-year-old will hit the road in October on a 21-date trek. Boyle said she hadn't been ready to take on the tour after her pop culture moment in 2009, but now she's more relaxed and ready to perform.

"I didn't have the confidence. I didn't have the right experience, but I feel more ready now, and I really can't wait," she said in a phone interview Thursday from her home in Scotland.

Boyle was chipper and excited when talking about her American tour, which she said will include "a few surprises." The tour kicks off Oct. 8 in San Diego; tickets go on sale June 9.

She said the tour is a "thank you" to fans. She's released an album each year since she captivated the world when she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" on "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009. She's sold more than 14 million records worldwide.

"The adaptation at first wasn't very easy because you have to get used to it at first," she said of learning to deal with fame. "It's like a baby learning to walk really. But once ... you see the people embrace you, it becomes easier."

Boyle revealed last year that she had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. She said she's healthy and feeling better than ever.

"Everything is fine. I've never felt better. I'm ready to go," she said.

Boyle's tour, which includes performances in Sacramento, California, Phoenix and Atlanta, will wrap Nov. 6 in Jacksonville, Florida.

"I like to be kept busy, but I'd like to see some of the country as well. And I'll be traveling by bus anyway, so I'll see most of the country anyway," she said.

Boyle said her tour will include some new material. She's completed her sixth album, due out this year, which heads in a "jazzy blues direction."

Outside of music, Boyle said she's interested in acting after making her big-screen debut in the holiday movie "The Christmas Candle."

"I haven't done much acting before ... so it felt a bit strange to begin with. But once you get used to it, it becomes fun and you start to enjoy yourself," she said. "I'd like to balance the books a bit — I'd like to do a bit of singing and a bit of acting."

Would she consider Broadway?

"The sky's the limit. I'm open to offers," she said, laughing.

She's open to offers from musicians who want to collaborate, though she wants to make an offer to one singer.

"My favorite performer is Michael Buble and I'd like to work with him at some point," she said

For article click link below:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...medium=twitter

Other articles:

http://shows.stv.tv/talk-tv/277120-s...an-tour-dates/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/m...-tour/9721445/

http://j.mp/1kOP0R2

graysea · 29th May 2014

Susan Announces North American Tour!

29th May 2014

After earning rave reviews for her sell out Scottish and UK Tours in 2013 and 2014, Susan is very excited to announce that she will be embarking on the first part of her world tour in the USA this October! She’ll be performing all the iconic tracks from her last five albums, as well as some never before-heard renditions of well-known classics!

The US tour will stop off in TWENTY ONE cities - kicking off at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego, CA on 8th October. A full list of dates, cities and venues can be found below…

8th Oct - San Diego, CA Balboa Theatre
9th Oct - Santa Barbara, CA The Arlington Theatre
11th Oct - San Francisco, CA SHN Orpheum Theatre
12th Oct - Sacramento, CA Community Center Theater
14th Oct - San Jose, CA San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
16th Oct - Costa Mesa, CA Segerstrom Center for the Arts
17th Oct - Phoenix, AZ Orpheum Theater
19th Oct - Midland, TX Wagner Noël Performing Arts Cente
20th Oct - Ft. Worth, TX Bass Hall
21st Oct - San Antonio, TX Tobin Center
23rd Oct - Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland
24th Oct - Louisville, KY Whitney Hall
26th Oct - Atlanta, GA Atlanta Symphony Hall
27th Oct - Greenville, SC Peace Concert Hall
29th Oct - Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
30th Oct - N. Charleston, SC North Charleston Performing Arts Center
1st Nov - Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
2nd Nov - Melbourne, FL King Center for the Performing Arts
3rd Nov - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center for the Performing Arts
5th Nov - Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Wed
6th Nov - Jacksonville, FL Moran Theatre

Presales for some of the shows will start on 6th June, with the remainder starting on the 13th June. Keep an eye on here, Susan’s Facebook and Twitter in the coming days for more information.

We asked Susan how excited she was to be heading back to the US this Autumn, here’s what she had to say…

“This is a brilliant moment for me. I am so very proud to be announcing that I will be performing in my very own tour in the USA. This really is fantastic. 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 USA 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.”

To win tickets to Susan's show, click link:

https://www.facebook.com/susanboyle/app_143103275748075

graysea

We haven't seen this great poster for awhile, so here it is. CanadianBill created this wonderful "Dare To Dream" poster of the marvelous, major events during Susan's journey covering the past five years. What a fascinating ride we have all been on these past years of Susan Boyle's amazing adventure. Simply wonderful! I saw a picture from a fan who visited Susan's home in Blackburn and it showed a framed picture of the poster sitting on Susan's mantel. How good is that! Great pride in all Susan does. Thank you, CanadianBill.

graysea

Congratulations, Susan!

Chieftain of The Scottish Highland Games week of May 31, 2014!

Picture below is of Susan in her specially made Boyle Tartan plaid.

graysea · 27 May 2014 11:42 BST

Susan Boyle unveils family tartan ahead of pipe band championships

Susan Boyle unveils family tartan outfit ahead of pipe band championships in Bathgate. — **Susan Boyle: Singer is chieftain at pipe band championships in Bathgate.**

Susan Boyle will don a bespoke outfit made from her family's tartan for her role as chieftain at the EFR British Pipe Band Championships in Bathgate.

Susan's nephew Alan Boyle has created the special tartan outfit in partnership with the Kilt Studio, Bathgate and the help of Sew You, Livingston.

On Saturday, thousands will participate in the competition as well as the 43rd Calor Scotland West Lothian Highland Games.

The EFR British Pipe Band Championships, the second biggest pipe band championship in the world and the first major of the year, is set to attract around 4000 competitors.

Alex Linkston, who is on the organising committee said: “It is going to be a fantastic day for all the family. This is the first time the two events have run on the same day and there will be a real atmosphere in Bathgate.

“With Susan Boyle as our chieftain, very much looking the part, it’s also meant incredible exposure for our event. We are all looking forward to it.”

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Article link is below:

http://news.stv.tv/east-central/276739-susan-boyle-unveils-family-tartan-ahead-of-pipe-band-championships/

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