14 DAY TRIAL // Susan Boyle, the unlikely Scottish superstar who came to the media’s attention earlier this year, during rehearsals for Britain’s Got Talent, gave her best performance so far a few hours ago, on the finale for America’s Got Talent, the US sibling of the show that launched her. All polished, dolled up and with no sign of stage fright, Boyle got a standing ovation with “Wild Horses,” her upcoming single off the “I Dreamed a Dream” album.
Nick Canon introduced Susan to the stage, saying she was the best example of what this kind of talent competitions could achieve. A short film depicting the singer’s rise to fame was then showed to members of the audience (and the estimated 25 million viewers watching the show at home), including her brief stay at London’s The Priory clinic, where she was admitted suffering from exhaustion. Then, Susan took to the stage – and the rest is history, as they say.
Perhaps E! Online is the one that best sums up Boyle’s rendering of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Wild Horses,” running a piece with the headline “Who won America’s Got Talent, besides Susan Boyle, that is.” Accompanied by a full orchestra and with a studied scenic presence that bespoke class and elegance, Susan Boyle was a far cry from the 40-something woman that first appeared in front of her now-mentor Simon Cowell knowing she would be scorned for her appearance and funny accent.
Proof of that was the fact that she got a standing ovation even from the judges, Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff. Osbourne, clearly very emotional at the end of the song, even leaned over the table to blow kisses to Susan, who was graciously bowing to the audience and encouraging them to give a hand to the orchestra as well. Again, her performance on America’s Got Talent, the biggest so far in terms of audience, showed that she did spend the last few months well under Cowell’s supervision.
Susan Boyle’s debut album, “I Dreamed a Dream,” arrives in stores this November. For her performance of “Wild Horses,” last night on America’s Got Talent, see the video below. Enjoy.