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Featured era: 2009
Susan Boyle's Audition
“I dreamed a dream.”
- Featured era
- 2009
- Peak era
- 2009
- Company
- Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
- Category
- Viral Videos
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On Video
Susan Boyle sings "I Dreamed a Dream"
Plays from YouTube when you press play. Views, length and date from YouTube, October 2026.
About This Video
- From:
- Britain's Got Talent
- Added:
- March 7, 2019
- Length:
- 6:47
What Was It?
In 2009, Susan Boyle, a singer from Blackburn, West Lothian, stepped onto the Britain's Got Talent stage at Glasgow's Clyde Auditorium and told the judges she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. Some in the audience looked unconvinced. Then she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. Judge Amanda Holden later called the moment the "biggest wake-up call ever".
The audition aired on April 11, 2009, and spread through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter within days. It set an online record for views in its first week, newspapers around the world covered it, and in December it was named the most-watched YouTube video of the year.
Boyle finished second in the final to the dance troupe Diversity. Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, became the UK's best-selling debut album of all time.
Things You Probably Forgot
- "As successful as Elaine Paige"
- Amanda Holden's "biggest wake-up call ever"
- The British press calling her "SuBo"
- Stephen Colbert's tribute at the 2010 Grammys
The Story
- 2009 Boyle's audition aired on Britain's Got Talent on April 11.
- 2009 She finished second to Diversity in the final.
- 2009 Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, was released on November 23.
- 2019 She marked ten years of her career with the album Ten and a tour.
Its Legacy
The embedded copy is the official Britain's Got Talent channel's 2019 upload. The audition remains one of the best-loved talent show moments of the YouTube era, and it launched a career of more than 25 million records sold.
Memories
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