Friday, April 17, 2009

Susan Boyle...is it okay that I don't get what the big deal is?

Have you seen this? It's a video of Susan Boyle, a 47-year-old woman who sang I Dreamed a Dream the other night on Britain's Got Talent. She has a nice voice. That's it. But everyone freaked out when she started singing for some reason. 

I don't get it. Why were they surprised that she could sing?

Was it because she's not movie-star attractive? Was it because she's 47 and never been married? Or was it because Britain's Got Talent was just trying to recreate a Paul Potts moment?

It seemed contrived to me. And insulting. Susan Boyle seems like a lovely woman, and I wish all the best for her. She said in her intro that she was unemployed, and hopefully her exposure on the show will have changed that.

But I'm still scratching my head about this one. I'd love to hear your comments.

3 comments:

Love In Toronto said...

I found the reaction incredibly insulting and if I were her it would have completely tempered the moment. When they called her the "biggest surprise" it was because she's older, because she isn't "move-star attractive", because she doesn't LOOK like... what, a good singer? I understand that the audience is going to make snap judgements (but outright laughing at her? Please) but I think the judges were incredibly unprofessional. I really hope something wonderful happens for her out of this.

Anonymous said...

She has a face made for radio.

Zing!

carlyjay said...

Hi!

OK, I never really got it, either. I mean, she can carry a tune, and has a nice tone to her voice, good enough that she'd win any karaoke competition, anywhere. Huzzah!

But she certainly wasn't Broadway-ready. She couldn't sing half as well as any of the people I know who can sing.

Not only that, but she had no clue about the CONTEXT of the song. I mean, she's singing "I Dreamed a Dream", about a woman who is on death's door, prostituting herself just to keep her child alive, who has lost every shred of dignity and hope, and Susan Boyle is GRINNING.

Sorry, not impressed. It was no Paul Potts moment, she did nothing that anyone with a half-decent untrained singing voice couldn't do. And if the big surprise is that she's 47 and doesn't style her hair or wear nice dresses, well, it's not her voice but our stupidity that should be getting the press, no?

Anyhow, in total agreement with you -- I thought it was a snoozefest.