The Falcon Flyer

A Star in the Making

Friday, May 01, 2009 By Desiree Ochs

Susan Boyle has become an international superstar seemingly overnight. Since her debut on the popular British T.V. show, Britain’s Got Talent on April 11, she has taken the media by storm, appearing on Larry King Live , in many newspaper articles and a feature in People Magazine. Looks may be deceiving, and as the old saying says, do not judge a book by its cover. This is what hundreds of millions of people think as they watch her YouTube video, which has been viewed over 100 million times, and see her on interviews. However, looks become unimportant as one hears her stunning vocals. Boyle, 47, is an unemployed charity worker from Scotland. She has always been very interested in singing, except that usually means singing solo at the local pubs. Since her first appearance on Britain’s Got Talent , many videos of Boyle singing a few years earlier in a bar have been released. In some videos, it is noticeable that the audience is completely unaware of Boyle’s voice and more aware of the way she looks. As Boyle stepped onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage, many audience members and judges snickered. So many people expected her to be yet another delusional singer. At a first glance, she is average. "And then you came out and we thought you were going to be a bit of a joke act, to be honest with you," said Piers Morgan, a guest judge on Britain’s Got Talent , apologizing to Susan Boyle. "And then I can remember ... that second when you had begun to sing, and I had never heard a more surprising, extraordinary voice coming out of somebody so unexpected." Although she has contradicted her promise to never get a makeover, Boyle feels very comfortable in her own skin. Recently, she was spotted with a new hairstyle and freshly tweezed eyebrows. Her main focus now is winning the competition. To win the show, Boyle must get through a live semifinal next month and then a final performance. If she wins, she will have the chance to sing in front of Queen Elizabeth II. As of now, Boyle’s only real competition is 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi. Host Simon Cowell believes that the competition is still wide open and that anyone still has a shot. "There are some acts that you haven't seen yet. It's not quite the one-horse race you are going to think this is," Simon Cowell said on Saturday's Britain’s Got Talent .