2013-05-22T02:19:43-04:00 Susan Boyle http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=susan-boyle Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Susan Boyle Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2092747 2012-12-08T19:00:00-05:00 2013-02-07T05:12:02-05:00

Susan Boyle http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-boyle/ Standing Ovation is the album I've always wanted to make. My fourth album in three years and probably the one I am most proud of.

You see, I have a long standing affiliation with musicals. As a wee girl the family would often congregate round the TV watching the old classics, South Pacific, Mary Poppins, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof and then as I got older I went to see my first stage musical Les Miserables and from there I was hooked, captivated and I loved the way you could transform yourself into another world with the emotive lyrics.

This album is also extra special to me as I got the chance to duet with my childhood idol Donny Osmond. Not only did we record together, I was then invited to sing with him in LA on Dancing With the Stars and then to Las Vegas to perform in his show at the Flamingo.

It was a surreal experience and one that I will never forget. I was so nervous before going on stage, I can't begin to tell you. It's one thing meeting the person you have idolised since you were 13 but to have to get up on stage, well I felt like I had a severe case of stage fright. It was so overwhelming but at the same time so exciting that another dream had come true and another box ticked on my bucket list.

This year I have wanted to get far more involved in promotion for the album. I'm less weary of talking to people and I felt I wanted to give back something to say thank you for all the support that has been given to me by so many over the past few years.

I will be signing albums in HMV in Glasgow and Edinburgh, I have a trip to New York to do performances on the Today show and some other great shows and see my old friend, Piers Morgan. I'm performing on a host of UK TV shows including the lottery, This Morning, Lorraine and I'm very excited to be able to support Children In Need again this year. That evening is one of the highlights for me.

I have become a little more technologically savvy this year too and taken part in some Twitter Q&As. Despite temperamental internet they have been great fun to take part in and I really enjoy all the varied questions. Not only does it give me a direct line of communication to fans which is so vitally important I can also reassure people that rumours that pop up are simply not true. I've also helped come up with questions for a new facebook app. It was fun to create these questions and see how well people know me and also musical trivia.

It has been another fantastic year- I've tried to rise to the new challenges and settle my fears that this will all be over soon. I'm enjoying myself more and feel that life in my career as well as in my personal life is getting better. Here's hoping you enjoy this album as much as I enjoyed making it.

Standing Ovation is out on 19 November. You can pre-order it by clicking here. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1145827 2011-12-13T19:00:00-05:00 2012-02-12T05:12:01-05:00

Susan Boyle http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-boyle/
2011, has in many respects, been one of the best years of my life so far. And what a year it's been.

The highlights are endless, too many to mention. It's not just performing in countries round the world that is exhilarating, it's also the many things that happen behind closed doors when I return home to Blackburn, Scotland.

This year I have been lucky enough to visit China and perform on China's Got Talent, to a stadium of 60,000. Words will never fully describe the bursting pride you feel and excitement when 60,000 people are cheering and clapping. It hooks you and leaves you wanting more live performances.

The documentary was a risk, having cameras there following every moment of your life, even the most mundane. A risk because once at home I enjoy my privacy, the moments I can reflect and where I can really be myself. I have to say cleaning my house and making cups of tea I felt would send viewers into a deep sleep but I trusted Osca, and that is what drove me through the process.

This year I have also done a lot more interviews with the press. I have always been very nervous of speaking with journalists. In 2009, through the whirlwind of Britain's Got Talent, suddenly being under a spotlight and analysed, I became afraid. However, I put that fear to one side and decided to sit down with journalists and open up. It was hard, unearthing deep wounds of my childhood, but much like the documentary, if people knew me and had a better insight, then hopefully that would bring understanding and acceptance.

I have actually enjoyed interviews this year and although it is still a nerve wracking process having to bear your soul to those you have only just met, in many ways it has been cathartic. I never realised I had so much I wanted to say and my fear had only led to frustration as I hadn't voiced my opinions.

America, one of my most favourite places to visit, felt like I was returning home. The beautiful Los Angeles, where I returned to perform on shows that I had done in previous years and New York, with all it's hustle, bustle and noise - it truly is the city that never sleeps. Returning back to the familiar surroundings of the hotels and the familiar faces of the crew on the shows is great. Although I will always suffer from nerves pre-performance having the familiar around helps ease the adrenaline.

I managed to visit Australia. I have always wanted to visit but never ever thought for a second I would make it there in my lifetime. It was a spectacular place and spending five days in Sydney was great to promote my album Someone To Watch Over Me. The bridge, the opera house, sailing round the harbour with fans, performing on Australian X Factor and talking to different journalists was truly great. In a short space of time, we packed so much in and it was fantastic - it was a country I could happily move to a buy a new holiday home - my retirement plan.

I've spent a lot more time in the community at home in Blackburn, opening Gala Day and visiting schools to watch performances and shows. I'm being invited to so many different things at home now that I have a proper social life.

I think this leads to a place where I finally feel accepted. Accepted by my fans, accepted by the press who have mostly stopped with the constant barrage and negative stories, accepted by my friends, family and neighbours. In truth I feel I now belong.

It is this acceptance and the feeling of belonging that has helped me lay my demons to rest.

This is really the first time that I feel confident and blessed. It's taken a while to learn how to be happy and enjoy what I am doing. I was so scared it would all come to an abrupt ending that I stopped looking at the positives and enjoying the moments and focused too much on the negatives.

My insecurities were building day by day in a vice-like grip, but after a good talking to I'm learning to be happy, learning to accept what my life has become, learning to control my temper and above all enjoying the moments I am experiencing now.

Meeting so many different people from all walks of life has had a profound effect on me and experiencing the genuine support and love means more to me than counting the number of records sold. It is their happiness and positivity that drives me forward. I want to continue making albums and performing for them.

As for what 2012 will hold, well apart from a musical and a new album, the rest is unknown and now for me the unknown is intoxicating. I am capable of so much more and if I keep pushing my own boundaries and strive for my dreams then hopefully I will be able to continue in the profession that I love.

To all of you, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let's all of us be determined to make 2012 a wonderful time despite all that is going on in the world.]]>