Returning to Britain’s Got Talent was a highlight. It was very exciting to be going back to the stage where it all began three years ago. Singing You’ll See from my first album, I Dreamed A Dream, well I felt it was quite apt. It was a really enjoyable experience and I’m very glad I did it. My highlight was meeting the gorgeous Pudsey. What an amazing dog and I’m very very pleased he won. Ashleigh was an absolute delight and so talented to be able to train her dog to that incredible standard.

On Sunday it was off to Windsor to perform for the Queen. Another dream ticked off my wish list! I performed Mull of Kintyre, written by Paul McCartney as part of the Jubilee celebrations. To say it was an honour was an understatement. I have such respect for our Monarch, she is the backbone to this country and to be a part of celebrating 60 years as our Queen, it’s a moment that I’ll never forget.

The best moment for me was meeting the Queen herself and Dame Helen Mirren, it’s a memory I shall cherish.

A special congratulations to my record label, Columbia in the USA for winning the Grammy with Tony Bennett’s album. They are a super team to work with, very talented and deserved to win this award.

I am so sorry that I have not written sooner and been delayed in wishing you all a very happy 2012. I’ve been quite busy over the past few weeks so let me begin where I left off, Christmas.

I spent christmas with my brother Gerry. I had a wonderful time and was very spoilt by everyone. My favourite gifts this year were a big teddy bear and a christmas jumper that’s a bit loud. Thank you so much to you all for the gifts and cards you sent to me. I was very touched by your kindness, sorry I can’t respond to each and everyone of you individually. I am trying!

Christmas isn’t Christmas without the Pantomime and Cinderella at the Kings Theatre, Edinburgh was great and extremely funny- Allan Stewart, Scotland’s most popular dame was hysterical and Grant Stott was great to. I always enjoy a good panto.

New Year’s Eve I spent with friends, we had a lovely meal together and waited for the bells at midnight. It was a great party and good to see in an exciting new year full of expectations with my oldest and dearest friends.

2012 has started off well. I’ve been choosing songs and ideas for the new album which I’m very excited about. So far I’ve come up with 86 songs that are personal favourites as well as looking at new material. I really enjoy the beginning of a new album, I like the creativity and team work as well as asking my fans opinion- your thoughts are very important to me.

Elaine C Smith and I have been discussing more of the musical, which starts in March and I’m really looking forward to the stage shows and being a part of a big ensemble cast.

At the beginning of January I was able to escape for a lovely few days to Ireland to visit friends. We had a really good time. I managed to visit the place, Lough Swilly, where John Newton was inspired to write Amazing Grace after being shipwrecked. This song was on my first album, I Dreamed A Dream and it was a really special day especially with my connection to that song. I had lunch at a lovely little country pub and what started with one person at the bar ended up with over 40 people joining us.

2012 is going to an exciting year and I will try to keep my updates as regular and interesting as possible, I don’t want to bore you all! I will definitely be writing once a fortnight but if there is any exciting news then I will write more and share it here first on the website.

After meeting Jackie backstage at The Oprah Show in Chicago in October 2010, Susan was over the moon to be asked by Jackie to perform a duet and immediately agreed. The pair sing “A Mother’s Prayer” on Jackie’s UK debut album ‘Dream With Me’ which is being released in the UK on Monday 6th June 2011.

Jackie also managed to persuade the legendary Barbara Streisand to duet on her album. Jackie shot to fame after appearing on America’s Got Talent and became the youngest artist ever to be signed to Simon Cowell’s uber successful label Syco. She is also the first of his American artists to release an album in the UK.

Susan said; “It was a pleasure to record such a beautiful song as ‘A Mother’s Prayer’ with Jackie. She has so much talent for someone so young and I wish her a long and successful career, she certainly deserves it.”

Jackie said; “I really loved making this album and doing a duet with Susan Boyle was incredible”.

Susan is currently back in the studio working on her third album which is being released in November 2011. The music has been chosen solely by Susan and is set to surprise her fans and win her legions more with the exciting and totally unexpected new direction she has chosen. It’s being slated as her best album yet. Fans eager for November to come round so they can get their hands on her latest recordings will be able to hear the breathtaking ‘A Mother’s Prayer’ on Monday 6th June 2011.

  A Mother’s Prayer feat. Susan Boyle by Columbia Records

Fans from all over the world, including Australia, The USA, Russia, and Europe, were piped into a dance hall by two young people playing the bagpipes. The room was laid out and decorated with Scottish flags, pictures and postures of Susan , balloons, party poppers and much more.

Susan joined the fans for several hours even though she had her own big birthday party to attend, and she and her niece Joanne entered to a great deal of warm applause. Susan was wearing a lovely red dress, with a blue and red scarf and a short red coat. She looked very happy and greeted some familiar faces in the room. Susan cut her birthday cake after the fans had sung happy birthday to her, before sitting down to some very special entertainment.

A children’s choir from Carmondean Primary School in Livingston, West Lothian, called the Carmondean Folk Scene, made up of children , aged 10 and 11, preformed a variety of songs, serious, and comical with Susan thoroughly enjoying the performance and asking them for an encore. A member of the group performed the Highland Fling – a very energetic Scottish Dance, some children recited Scottish poems and the bagpipes were played again as the haggis and a clootie dumpling were piped into the room; Susan spoke with the children before she left and had her photo taken with them much to their delight, and fans also gave them souvenir buttons (badges) and cardboard Susafaces to take away with them. Susan was presented with some flowers by one of the children on behalf of all of her fans.

Some fans got the chance for a brief word with Susan but she by now had to leave to get ready for her own big birthday bash at nearby Houston House.

After Susan had left the delighted fans enjoyed a variety of Scottish experiences; Scottish food and Scottish entertainment had been laid on and every one joined in the dancing, and the singing. Everyone was given a goody- bag to take home with again some typical Scottish goodies in it and the fans sang Auld Lang Syne as the evening ended and they left to return to the respective hotels and B & B’s.

The week end did not end there. A bus trip had been organised the following day and many of the group enjoyed a trip to Edinburgh and a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia. On the Sunday Evening all the fans met together again in a local restaurant to share one last meal together, to toast Susan, and to share memories of a wonderful weekend.

A fantastic time had been had by everyone who came from all over the world. New friendships were made, and everyone wants to do it all again. Scottish Mary was rightfully singled out for special thanks by everyone for all the work she did to organise the event in Scotland and to make Altena’s dream come to reality.

The superstar Scot is taking time out from recording her 3rd album to celebrate the big 50 with an intimate private party for her family and close friends in Scotland.

When asked about reaching this landmark birthday, Susan jokingly laughed, “Well there’s not much I can do about it. But I’m happy to be here and will be growing older gracefully”

She went on to say; “I’ve had some wonderful moments throughout my life, especially over the past two years and I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and encouragement, I wouldn’t be here without it and I appreciate it every single day.”

Simon Cowell said; “Happy 50th Birthday Susan. You are an amazing lady and I hope you have a fantastic day.”

In addition, The Gift is holding strong in its fourth straight week at Number 1 on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart.

The Gift’s return to the top of the Billboard 200 follows the news of Susan’s GRAMMY® nomination, the first of her career, in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for I Dreamed A Dream, her debut album.  Susan’s competition in the category includes Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0, Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster, John Mayer’s Battle Studies and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream.

When Susan’s The Gift (SYCO/Columbia Records) entered the both official UK chart and the US Billboard 200 chart at Number 1 in November 2010, it became the fastest selling holiday album, on both sides of the Atlantic, in the SoundScan era.

Released nearly a year to the day since the release of her debut, Susan Boyle’s The Gift began mirroring the achievements of its predecessor when it became the Number 1 album in the US and the UK less than 12 months after I Dreamed A Dream had achieved the same feat on both sides of the Atlantic.  Not only had Susan become the first female artist ever to hold the Number 1 album spot in the US and UK twice in under a year, but she was the only artist of any gender in the history of music to have reached this pinnacle since the Beatles in 1969

“Up against wonderful artists like Lady GaGa and Katy Perry, I didn’t expect this for a moment,” said Susan Boyle, “but how fantastic just to be recognized like this with a GRAMMY® nomination on my first album.”

Susan’s GRAMMY® nomination was announced in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 1 by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.  Winners will be announced at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS on “GRAMMY® Sunday,” February 13, 2011, from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Released in late November 2009, I Dreamed A Dream debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 and at Number 1 on the UK charts, becoming the UK’s fastest-selling debut album ever.  With first week’s US sales alone topping 700,000 copies, the album achieved 2009’s best sales week in the US and broke the record for the highest debut by a new solo female artist in the SoundScan era.  Within six weeks of its release date, I Dreamed A Dream was the year’s biggest-selling album worldwide.  The album sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide in its first three weeks of release, and has gone on to sell 10 million copies to date.  Her debut album made Susan the biggest selling artist in the world in 2009, the fastest selling artist in the world for a decade, and the fastest selling artist in the history of the UK charts. I Dreamed A Dream shot to the Number 1 spot in over 21 countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.

The news of Susan’s GRAMMY nomination arrives alongside the success she’s currently enjoying with The Gift, her second collection of performances on SYCO/Columbia.  Released in late November 2010, nearly a year to the day since the release of her debut, Susan Boyle’s The Gift mirrored the achievements of its predecessor when it became the Number 1 album in the US and the UK less than 12 months after I Dreamed A Dream had achieved the same feat on both sides of the Atlantic.  Not only had Susan become the first female artist ever to have the double Number 1 album spot in the US and UK twice in under a year, but she was the only artist of any gender in the history of music to have reached this pinnacle since the Beatles in 1969.

When Susan’s The Gift (SYCO/Columbia Records) entered the both official UK chart and the US Billboard 200 chart at Number 1, it became the fastest selling holiday album, on both sides of the Atlantic, in the SoundScan era.

With the Grammy Nominations just announced in the US - Susan Boyle has been nominated for a Grammy for debut album ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ in the category “Best Pop Vocal Album”.  She is nominated alongside Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, John Mayer and Katy Perry – what company!  Onwards!!

Many thanks,
SB HQ.

Nominated in the category for Best Pop Vocal Album, she is up against Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, John Mayer and Katie Perry.

Told of the news this morning in Scotland Susan said; “Up against wonderful artists like Lady GaGa and Katy Perry I didn’t expect this for a moment but how fantastic just to be recognised like this with a nomination on my first album “