Susan Boyle

Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. As of 2021, Boyle had sold 25 million records. Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream (2009), is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and was the best-selling album internationally in 2009. In 2011, Boyle made UK music history by becoming the first female artist to achieve three successive albums debuting at No.1 in less than two years. As of May 2025, her estimated net worth was £22 million ($29.5 million).

Boyle's debut studio album, I Dreamed a Dream, was released in November 2009; it became the UK's best-selling debut album of all time, beating the previous record held by Spirit by Leona Lewis, and set a record for first-week sales by a debut album. In her first year of fame, Boyle made £5 million (£8 million today) with the release of I Dreamed a Dream and its lead-off singles, "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Wild Horses". The success continued with her second studio album, The Gift (2010), where she became only the third act ever (and the first female artist) to top both the UK and US album charts with two different albums in the same year. It was followed by Boyle's third studio album, Someone to Watch Over Me (2011). The same year, she recorded and released a cover version of "I Know Him So Well" with Geraldine McQueen to commercial success.