How Susan Boyle Achieved a Net Worth of $40 Million
Unless you are a fan of Britain’s Got Talent, you may not be familiar with her name, but chances are you have heard her sing. Boyle wowed the judges when she began to sing, as her outward appearance was somewhat disheveled, yet her voice was pristine and hit all the notes of the song, “I Dreamed a Dream,” from Les Misérables. This put Boyle on the map and led to her popularity, and her wealth, which is reported to be about $40 million.
Susan Boyle’s Simple Beginnings:
While there is no doubt that Susan Boyle is a star with an amazing voice and the net worth to prove it, she came from humble beginnings.
Boyle was raised in Blackburn, West Lothian in Scottland, where her father was a miner and often worked as a singer. Her mother was an office worker and gave birth to Susan when she was 45 years old. Both of her parents, Patrick, and Bridget were from Ireland. She was the youngest of ten siblings and had some learning disabilities due to being deprived of oxygen when she was born.
It wasn’t until 2013 that Boyle was properly diagnosed as being autistic. Due to her disabilities, Boyle had a difficult time in school and her classmates constantly bullied her.
Boyle Shows Talent Early On:
Despite her difficulty in school, Boyle’s parents recognized her talent and took part in both singing and acting lessons. Early on, she auditioned for plays as an actress and as a singer, but didn’t see much success in her efforts.
In 1998, Boyle spent her entire savings to professionally record a demo of well-known songs including Cry Me a River, Killing Me Softly, and Don’t Cry for Me Argentina. In spite of the cost and effort, the demos fell on deaf ears.
That is until she found success on Britain’s Got Talent.
Susan Boyle is Discovered:
After her demo flopped, Boyle continued to look for ways to showcase and be acknowledged for her talent.
During this time, she competed and won several local singing contests. Her mother urged her to audition for Britain’s Got Talent.
Her first appearance on “Britain’s Got Talent,” was met with laughter for her unflattering haircut, unruly eyebrows, out-of-date clothing, and unglamorous appearance. To her and everyone else’s surprise, the second the first note came out of her mouth, the judges and audience were captivated. She scored three “yes’” votes from the judges after her performance in the third season.
Before this, Boyle was used to singing in her local church and for small local singing events, but singing in front of so many people made her nervous. She also believed that she was too old and not attractive enough to be chosen to move forward on the show. She felt that contestants were chosen for their looks and not their talent. That was before she was chosen to continue to compete.
Boyle Gains Notoriety for Her Talent:
Boyle subsequently released her debut album in 2009, aptly named “I Dreamed a Dream.” It became one of the largest-selling music releases of all time. It sold over 400,000 copies in the first week after its release.
Susan Boyle returned to Britain’s Got Talent as a guest on the final show on May 12, 2012. She sang “You’ll See”. While that is quite an honor, it was to be outdone the next day when she performed for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle. Those are two very exclusive events, and she was a star at each.
In 2012, she sang with Donny Osmond in his Las Vegas Show; in 2014, she sang “Mull of Kintyre,” at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the presence of Queen Elizabeth again.
Susan went on to become an international star for her singing and her parts in several popular movies.
Susan Boyle Net Worth and Where it Came From:
Following her success on Britain’s Got Talent, which was watched by over 27 million people (including those that watched the program on YouTube), the hits kept coming from the little-known star.
Boyle’s performance wowed the audience and judges, though she, unfortunately, lost in the final round.
By then, however, the star had been discovered. Her first album was followed up by a special which featured Boyle and her idol Elaine Paige, the TV special was called “I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story. It was viewed by over 10 million people in the United Kingdom.
As Boyle was raking in the money, and high demand, she went into the studio and recorded another album, titled “The Gift.” This album gave Boyle another successful album. It was at this point that she was one of only three performers to have two number-one hits in the same year.
As of 2022, Susan Boyle’s net worth topped $40 million. Boyle shows no sign of stopping and continues to pump out albums and act in various TV and movie productions.
How Does Susan Boyle Spend Her Money?
While Susan Boyle has topped the charts, been in award-winning movies, and has a hefty bank account, little has changed from when she was living at home with her parents, trying to eek out a living doing what she does best.
Even though she has had a successful career and could afford a higher level of living, she still lives with her mother, in her childhood home. Though she has made some upgrades to the property, she modernized and upgraded the kitchen and expanded the living room. The rooms are still as warm and cozy as they were when she was growing up, they just are a bit more spacious due to the remodeling.
Other splurges include a piano, a bike, and a fur coat. Other than that, the millionaire hasn’t changed since the days she was tormented by bullies.
Susan Boyle’s Charitable Giving:
Susan Boyle is very philanthropic and supports numerous causes such as the telethon BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. She believes in giving back and works with numerous organizations, to help them gain awareness for their efforts and hopes she leaves the world a better place to live in.
Lessons From Susan Boyle:
It is easy to think of Susan Boyle as just another good story, but she has a unique outlook on life, and many of these lessons are positive and worth repeating.
- Be kind to yourself. People are always going to judge you and write you off, so be good to yourself, you don’t need the negativity.
- Don’t judge: There are already too many people out there willing to judge others, don’t be one of them.
Susan Boyle Today:
Despite her wealth, Susan Boyle remains unspoiled by the accolades that follow her. She makes a great living, doing what she enjoys and does best, entertaining her audience.
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