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.

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.

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.”

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!!

Performing ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ from her upcoming album The Gift with a 60 strong children’s choir, it was billed as the biggest performance in the 26 year Oprah show history.

Dubbed as the ‘record smasher’, Susan wore a beautiful bottle green couture dress from Suzanne Neville, made especially for this important performance. She also received a standing ovation from the audience as she sang the final notes.

After performing her breathtaking song, Susan then chatted with Oprah. Subjects that came up were bullying, her faith and the new album.

After the performance Susan was whisked away from the studio to visit one of Chicago’s most famous landmarks, Sears Tower. Speeding up in the lift to over 1300 feet and arriving at the famous Sky Deck in just under a minute to view the spectacular 360 degree views of Chicago.
She also proved she was braver than most stepping out into the glass box that hangs out over the building and affords you a sheer drop view of the streets below.

Then it was off to the airport for her return flight home to Heathrow, before her book signing on Saturday at Waterstone’s in Piccadilly, London.

Susan’s performance will be airing tomorrow, Tuesday 19th October 2010.

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!!

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.

The hugely anticipated album ‘The Gift’ has stormed to number one selling 102,993 copies in its first week, outselling its closest chart rival almost 2 to 1. Susan is only the second female artist this year, along with Cheryl Cole, to sell over 100,000 copies in her albums first week of release.

In 2009 the Britain’s Got Talent star’s debut album ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ became the biggest selling album in the world and fastest selling album in the history of the charts – selling over 10million copies - and breaking all pre-order sales records on Amazon.

Susan said: “Wow this is amazing! I am so happy. Thank you to everyone who has supported me all this time – my dreams just keep coming true! I am definitely going to be celebrating tonight with friends and family!”

Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot said, “It is a great achievement by Susan Boyle, who has now scored two Official number one albums in the UK in less than 12 months. The Gift is one of the first big albums of Christmas, which is now just a few weeks away, and is sure to sell right the way through the festive period.”

The world exclusive premiere of Susan’s performance of Perfect Day will be aired on ITV1 at 6.55pm on Sunday 7th November 2010.

Mr Reed was so inspired with her unique version of his song that he collaborated with Susan to help produce and devise the creative for her video. Both wanted to create an honest and emotive piece shot in the highland’s of Scotland.

The original version of the song, was written by Lou Reed in 1972 and produced by David Bowie. Susan’s version appears on her upcoming album The Gift, released on Monday 8th November 2010.

Susan said; “Making this video was an extraordinary experience. I loved that Lou Reed understood how much it meant to me to film in Scotland. I didn’t mind how much it rained or blew a gale - I enjoyed every minute of it!”

-For a sneak preview join her listening party on www.susanboylemusic.com or faceboook.