I’ve watched the You Tube Video of Susan Boyles’ performance on Britain’s Got Talent at least 50 times. If you haven’t by chance seen it watch it now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

My favorite moment of this video is when she sings the first 6 words of the song “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical Les Miserable. Those six words transformed the world. In that moment, the 30-year-old myth was dispelled that you have to be perfect in order to showcase your talents and gifts.

The generations beneath mine have been brought up to believe in order to get a record contract you need to be beautiful with a perfect body, especially if you are a woman. Singing voices can be digitally manufactured nowadays. It’s all about the image on
videos. For those of us born before 1970, we remember a time when the first view of a singer or group was on the cover of an album. We had Elton John and David Bowie with their truly unique styles but we were really buying their music despite their looks not because of them. Then came MTV and the music world changed.  Side note: Listen to “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles one more time.

Back to Susan Boyle. Watch her facial expressions as she notes how the audience responds to her. Look at the way she carries herself when she is on stage versus when she is off of it. On stage her posture is tall, her head held high. She blows kisses at the audience like she’s a star. Underneath that unaltered, untouched 47-year-old face is a confident, beautiful singer. You only have to see her smile to see her true, inner beauty. Remember that beauty, because surely she will change physically as make-up artists pluck her eyebrows and shape her face with cosmetics. A hairstylist will come along and blow out those curls and give her a current, modern style.

People may be asking what took her so long to come out and share her singing gifts. I suspect that she is one of those late bloomers you hear about, busy caring for others before allowing herself to shine. Also, she was probably made fun of and not seen with much respect except maybe by those who truly cared about her.

We all should admire her for stepping out and allowing herself to shine despite the odds against her. But most of all, we should admire her for not allowing her age to stop her in a youth-filled world. She’s a reminder to all of us that it’s NEVER too late. I hope to see her on Broadway some day.

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