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.

An excited Susan said; “I am thrilled to have been nominated a second time for a grammy award. It is a real honour to be nominated at all but to be in a category with legends like Barbara Streisand and Tony Bennett, well I’m lost for words. It is wonderful.” ‘The Gift’ is the second album to have been nominated for a Grammy. Last Year ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ was nominated in the Best Pop Vocal category.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards are being held in Los Angeles on Sunday 12th February 2012.

Producer Osca Humphreys followed Susan for 3 months, during shows, the recording process of her new album and especially at Susan’s place.
Because despite her superstar status, major success and the sudden fortune she gathered, Susan Boyle is still the real, honest and sweet person as before.

In case you missed it, you can watch the full video here!

Susan’s record breaking third album Someone To Watch Over Me has proved to be a massive hit with fans and critics alike. Susan’s third studio set boasts an eclectic track list with a mix of the old and the new and a few surprises along the way, We’ve asked Susan’s fans on Facebook to vote on their favourite track. Tell us your favourites too by leaving your comments below of by answering the poll on Facebook. Click here to visit Susan’s official page.

Track Listing
1. You Have To Be There
2. Unchained Melody
3. Enjoy The Silence
4. Both Sides Now
5. Lilac Wine
6. Mad World
7. Autumn Leaves
8. This Will Be The Year
9. Return
10. Someone To Watch Over Me

In the second part of Susan’s top books, we take a look at some of her most memorable reads. These five books include Barry Hines’ A Kestrel for A Knave, which was made into the successful film, Kes as well as the much loved favourite Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. To find out more about Susan’s top novels, click on the book titles below.

6. A Kestrel For A Knave - Barry Hines


7.The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien


8.The Wind In The Willows - Kenneth Grahame


9.Cider With Rosie - Laurie Lee


10.Any Piers Morgan book!

Susan has picked 10 of her all time favourite books to share with you. The first part of the list features the childhood classic What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge, and George Orwell’s political allegory, Animal Farm. Click the book covers below to find out more about Susan’s choices.


1. What Katy Did - Susan Coolidge


2.The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough


3.Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell


4.Animal Farm - George Orwell


5.The Mill On The Floss - George Eliot

Young Girl - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

Believe - Cher

Tony Orlando & Dawn - Tie A Yellow Ribbon

Daydream Believer - The Monkees

Sugar Baby Love - The Rubettes

Your Baby Aint Your Baby Anymore - Paul Da Vinci

Tammy - Debbie Reynolds

When Will You Tell Me That You Love Me - Diana Ross

Band On The Run - Wings

]]> Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:56:55 +0100 http://www.susanboylemusic.com/be/news/item/susans_top_20_songs_pt.12/ http://www.susanboylemusic.com/be/news/item/susans_top_20_songs_pt.12/#When:12:51:29Z In the first part of Susan’s Top 20 list, we find out about the songs and artists that inspire Susan; from Michael Jackson to Blondie. Click the links below to hear some of Susan’s all-time favourite songs!


Puppy Love - Donny Osmond

Ben - Michael Jackson

Reach Out I’ll Be There - The Four Tops

Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton

Stephanie De Sykes - I Was Born With A Smile On My Face

Barbra Streisand - Woman In Love

Frank Sinatra - As Time Goes By

I Don’t Know How To Love Him - Jesus Christ Superstar

Whistle Down The Wind - Tina Arena

Sunday Girl - Blondie

Susan’s brand new album ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ is available now! Get your copy from her Official Store here!]]> Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:51:29 +0100 http://www.susanboylemusic.com/be/news/item/koppen_xl_special_on_susan_boyle/ http://www.susanboylemusic.com/be/news/item/koppen_xl_special_on_susan_boyle/#When:16:08:22Z Koppen XL will be broadcasting a special on Susan Boyle (British reportage from ITV, 2011) on Tuesday November 22nd at 21h25.
Title: ‘Hoe zou het met Susan Boyle zijn?’
Producer Osca Humphreys followed Susan for 3 months, during shows, the recording process of her new album and especially at Susan’s place.
Because despite her superstar status, major success and the sudden fortune she gathered, Susan Boyle is still the real, honest and sweet person as before.

Don’t miss this!

Susan’s album ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ is out now!
Buy it here

Read the video transcription here:

You Have To Be There:
0.08
You have To Be There was exciting very dramatic it was part of a musical written Abba and it was also the flip side a more serious side in that it questioned your very beliefs.

Unchained Melody
0.37 seconds
Unchained Melody was made very famous by the Righteous Brothers in the early 60s and um by Cyndi Lauper. This particular one tended to appeal to a younger audience because most of the stuff that’s on my album really appeals to a wide audience that’s why whenever I get a chance to begin with to appeal to a wider audience not the conventional X Factor which tends to appeal to a pope audience Unchained Melody is nostalgic it’s a bit of both in the relationship… I need your love.

Enjoy The Silence
1.28mins
Enjoy The Silence, do people enjoy silence?  You can say a lot with words you can say a lot with music as well, again it’s a much wider audience, a younger audience bit like Coldplay you know that was the kind of arrangement I had. When I was in the recording studio you see they act weird you know it’s like you get a weird look not like the demo but the person who did it you know. I find it challenging, I’m ballad singing most of the time I’m mostly musical theatre, this was something abstract it’s again it’s about having a kind of art if you like. You don’t just do paintings you try to do abstract paintings as well. This is a bit abstract, poppy if you like out of my usual you know.

Both Sides Now
2.38mins
Both Sides Now I keep saying both sides now, now both sides now I’m really reflecting from a 50 year olds view point. Now 50 you’ve lived a bit you look over your life you see some of the regrets you’ve made, some of the mistakes you’ve made. You seen some of the funny sides as well and have a damn good laugh at them. Both Sides Now is about reflecting back on your life as a mature person but also being able to see it as a young person’s viewpoint as well and how they see you. I think some people of my family probably see me as an aunty you know an elderly kind of aunty feel like. Both Sides Now is a younger person looking forward to life and the older person looking back in life, there’s an adjust in position there, both sides now, both sides of life.

Lilac Wine
3.48mins
Lilac wine I like the song because I’m a Elkie Brooks fan its originally a Pearls ballad but this gentle approach its something that makes it your own, you can make it a whole mark of your own, it’s a very gentle piece it flows really well, very gentle.

Mad World
4.17mins
It speaks for itself you can see what’s going on, all the looting in London and the disasters in Japan are 2 examples. Mad word is a social comment it’s a kind of way of having yourself on film but you’re the spectator you looking directly into the situation and you’re actually saying is this real? It’s a mad world doesn’t make any sense, why doesn’t it make any sense?  There’s no equality in some ways why is there poor people? Why are there too many rich people? Why are people starving? Stuff like that wee questions like that, that’s what makes me think of in that song.

Autumn Leaves
5.17mins
Autumn leaves well, with the demise of summer it’s about something that’s really dying isn’t it? Summers dying, leaves are turning brown. I lost my mother 4 years ago Autumn Leaves is about the demise of something beautiful she’s a beautiful person my mother and that’s something personal to me; Autumn Leaves is about the demise of something beautiful

This Will Be The Year
5.57mins
This Will Be The Year, well has it been the year? It’s a romantic kind of song really and it reminds me a bit of a film track the arrangement.  This Will Be The Year is optimistic they say make you more determined, its about optimism its about having the strength to go on and giving all you can this will be the year to really make it happen. Because when you want something badly enough you want to make it happen and when I went onto BGT I really wanted this with everything I had.  And this will be the year to finally make that come to fruition, to make it better, to become that professional I’ve always wanted to be. This Will Be The Year, beautiful song, beautiful piece, almost like a film piece like almost like a Hollywood piece if you like. It’s a bit like Sunset Boulevard, you know with one look I’ll take my thing which is like your thinking of something.

Return
7.17mins
Return, that’s about the soldiers in Afghanistan coming back to their families, I can relate to this as well because my dad did his service in WWII and my mum had two kids she was waiting for him to come back she didn’t believe he would come back at all. So this song has those connotations to it they are waiting for the bread winner to come home to the family. Very powerful, very emotional, very umm I don’t know if there’s a right word for it, it’s the idea of families being broken up, ideas of turmoil if you like, the longing to have your partner back. Sometimes it can be done because they come home and the joy of seeing them again and sometimes it can’t be done because of the circumstances so there’s a sort of just the position of sad and elation in this song.

Someone To Watch Over Me
8.38mins
Someone to watch over me, we all know the jazz version of Gershwin’s song someone to watch over me there’s a someone I’m longing to see that’s one of the verses, who is that somebody? I mean we all meet someone in our life at some point but we always do get the impression that someone is watching over us and that something to me is my mother.  So someone is watching over me. I don’t have the detail for anybody just yet

What is your favourite track?
9.17mins
Oh there are so many that I can’t really get into it here, but I think it would be This Will Be The Year, Return, Both Sides Now and probably You’ll Have To Be There…I’ve got more than one

Fans
9.48mins
Well without fans you can’t have record sales but apart from the mercenary bit the idea of having someone close gives you confidence and its like one big happy family you’re providing a service to them, you’re making them happy, you’re entertaining them. They’re very important to me fans because they listen to my music and if they like what they hear they’ll want more. I’ve known some of them for many months now I met some of them in the forum there’s an example and they feel like they’re part of my life now they’re more then just acquaintances they’re close friends. I would say that what I do in a album relates very much to the fans because it can relate to an ordinary person in the street as well if you like where they are in life, life positions if you like where they are and the place where they are, where they are geographically as well so I’d say we’re related to the fans quite a lot.

What was the last year like for you?
10.57mins
The last year? Oh now I went to Shanghai, I went to America, I’m on my third album it’s been very exciting, very exciting busy and varied, I’d like some more please

Career
11.27mins
I think my careers going in an upward direction and I think it’s set to well I’m a very modest person and I think its set to be there for as long as people want me

Have you had time to relax?
11.58mins
I’ve had a couple of days off to relax I just watch television and stuff like that, I’m a very ordinary person. I went on holiday this year a couple of times this year as well, I’ve been in Rome and I’ve been in Ireland.

Today, USA Today exclusively premiered the new music video for “You Have To Be There,” just one of the breathtaking tracks from Susan’s new album Someone To Watch Over Me.
Watch the new video here now!