Susan Boyle: What Made the Difference

I love music but I am not into talent shows. When I read CNN’s article on Susan Boyle’s stunning performance on “Britain’s Got Talent” show, I thought it was just another success story—contestant wins against all odds. But when Susan Boyle appeared on Larry King Live, I got curious.

Susan Boyle’s performance have been viewed 25.2M by the time I watched it on YouTube. Twelve hours later it went up to 28M views. What made Susan Boyle’s success different?

Looks can be deceiving
Susan Boyle stood in front of the judges and a skeptical crowd. At the age of 47, nobody thought that this lady got talent. With a hairdo that no hairdresser could probably take ownership, the audience might have been wondering what talent, if any, this joke would perform.

The lady got talent
When Susan Boyle started to sing the first line of "I Dreamed a Dream," the audience cheered and gave her a big round of applause, Simon Cowell’s eyes widened, and Amanda Holden’s jaw dropped. Welcome to the "Les Misérables" musical! Nobody thought it would be an extraordinary performance. Susan Boyle made the audience “rock.”

What’s the dream?
One factor that Susan Boyle was able to wow the audience was the song itself. Had it been a different song rendered, the impact would have been less. The choice of “I Dreamed a Dream” was perfect for Boyle being unemployed and living alone. The song was tailored for her—a dream to join a talent show in spite of the tiger’s (audience) threat to tear her dreams apart.

Is she a fluke?
The question arises after her success if she’s just a one-trick pony. Before you and I judge her again, we should listen to her sing “Cry Me a River” for a charity CD produced in 1999. It's available on YouTube.

It’s a touchdown!
By the way, the moment Susan Boyle started to walk away from the stage after her rendition of the song and was called to come back, it reminded me of a scene in the movie “Forrest Gump” where Forrest Gump was told to go back to the field after making a touchdown. You see, there are people in this world who perform extraordinary and remarkable acts and never seek rewards or scores for their achievements.