Susan Boyle's rise to fame tempered by reality

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She dreamed a dream, and it came true. But what happened next for Susan Boyle?

The middle-aged church volunteer from a small town in Scotland became an instant global celebrity in 2009 with her heart-stopping rendition of the Les Miserables number I Dreamed a Dream on a TV talent show.

A week is a long time in showbiz - and in our hyper-speed online age three and a half years is an eternity - but Boyle is still going strong. She has sold millions of records, received an honorary doctorate and performed in Las Vegas. A stage musical about her life has played to enthusiastic crowds across Britain and is headed for Australia, and next month she releases her fourth album, Standing Ovation.

But the 51-year-old singer who entered the TV talent contest to make her late mother proud is remarkably unchanged. She's still a bit frumpy, though she's acquired a new hairdo, more expensive clothes and a makeover. She still lives in her home town, has outbursts of anger, and struggles to overcome her nerves before live performances.

It's a fairy tale, yes, but with dark shadows lurking in the corners.

"People can't accept that you can dream a dream, but part of the dream is also a nightmare," said Elaine C. Smith, a Scottish actress who knows Boyle and plays her in the biographical stage show I Dreamed a Dream.

"Fairy dust comes out, but shrapnel comes out as well."

Boyle still shows up occasionally to sing karaoke at The Crown pub.

"She belts them out like she used to and is not averse to a duet," said 20-year-old local Helen Cameron. "It's nice that this has not changed her. I think she's under a lot of pressure normally. Here she can be herself."

Boyle's life changed in a few minutes when her first appearance on Britain's Got Talent was broadcast in April 2009. The soaring voice emerging from the dowdy, frizzy-haired figure; the audience titters turning to gasps; the shocked faces of Simon Cowell and the other judges - it was artfully staged television, but also a moment of genuine emotion.

"We judged her. Anybody who says they didn't is telling lies," Smith said. "She walked on and opened her mouth, and within minutes everybody watching was in tears."

But Smith said Boyle's flaws are part of what makes her a star. After all, "you didn't love Judy Garland because she was perfect".

"This is a woman who is conquering the real fears she has," Smith said.

Questions:

1. In which year did Susan Boyle appear on a UK reality TV competition?

2. Which song was her ticket to fame?

3. What is the title of her fourth album?

Answers:

1. 2009.

2. I dreamed a dream.

3. Standing Ovation.

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.