Oh, SuBo! Whatever dream this hip-swiveling, cat-treasuring (hi, Pebbles) church worker dreamed, she can’t have imagined it would be fulfilled quite like this.
The 48-year-old small-town Scottish spinster turned viral summer sensation has now parlayed what could easily have been fleeting internet fame—wherefore art thou, Tay Zonday?—into one of the most astonishing success stories of the year.
All the R-rated AMA displays, full-court press blitzes and bedazzled onesies in the world couldn’t push the likes of Rihanna, Glambert and Gaga even close to Boyle’s winning Billboard numbers; her 701,000-copy victory (and additional 410,000 sold in the U.K.) effectively crushed her younger, more provocative peers. She even beat 2009′s standing first-week-sales record holder, an expressive, opinionated young lad named Eminem.
So how did she do it? For one, as much as people may have first encountered Boyle on their computer screens, they didn’t necessarily dip back into the digital marketplace to buy it; instead, they turned to less traditional outlets like Walgreens and QVC (though pre-order sales were also strong on Amazon.com)—and they went in for the full album, not just a grab-bag of singles or ringtones.
Steve Barnett, chairman of her label Columbia Records, told the New York Times that only about 39,000 of Boyle’s total sales were through iTunes; compare that to the number of individual digital tracks sold in 2008 by Rihanna (9.9 million) Lady Gaga (11.1 million), or Taylor Swift (9.98 million).
SuBo’s buyers are likely the same audience that made Josh Groban’s Christmas album the no. 1 seller of 2007, sending it to five-times platinum only weeks after its October release, and goosed sales for crooner Michael Buble’s recent chart-topper Crazy Love; all three albums are heavy on well-loved standards, and easy on the type of ears that eschew the flagrant, frantic pop sounds of La Gaga, et al.
What are your theories, readers? Is it Boyle’s backstory, or her warbling mezzo soprano? Her cathedral-ready hymnals or her Rolling Stones balladry? Or is just, as my colleague Michael Slezak says, that “like a candle or a tie, the Susan Boyle CD is a perfectly pleasant, unthreatening holiday gift for the hard-to-shop-for relative”?
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Susan Boyle scores year’s biggest sales week by far; Andrea Bocelli, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna sell well
Michael Jackson tops 2009 Google and Yahoo searches
Amazon gives away Gaga, Tori Amos MP3s in ’25 Days of Free’ promotion
Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, U2: Who will be nominated for Grammys tomorrow?
HBO airs Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts: Your favorite moments?
Lambert on ‘Ellen’: An almost-apology for his controversial AMAs performance
It’s so refreshing to see an underdog coming out on top. I’ll have to pick up her album here soon.
I’m not sure why people keep insisting that she’s an “underdog”. She’s a heavily corporate-sponsored act selling one of the most pervasive and persistent individual narratives this year. Underdog my ***.
It’s the classic ugly duckling story. She’s obese, hirsute, and appears to be far older than her 48 years and surprised everyone on that televised, Simon Cowell-sponsored karoake contest. That’s the appeal. Now that she’s been made over her mental illness(es) will take the foreground (check the photos of the nearly 50 year old woman sucking her thumb while surrounded by fans – disturbing). It’s the now-classic, reality show, car crash phenomenon.
Now that you mention it, I am going to one of those gag gift, white elephant parties this weekend… this is perfect!
oh crispy… how is it we are almost always in the same wavelength?!… ANYWAYS- Susan Boyle is famous because she is a frumpy “ugly” cat lady who has a belting voice… people love the gimmick of her underdog story but I’m sure her career is going to be built around covers of karaoke standards and she’ll dissapear with the rest of them… So while everyone feels great about supporting her and blah blah blah, youre really only doing it because she looks like $*it and, us, as humans are naturally shallow and furthermore, by buying her album and making her #1, youre just making her grave deeper… here’s hoping she’ll have her cats to keep her company
Not just her cats! With all the money she’s raking in, I hope she’s spending it on expensive call-boys. You finally get your kiss, gurlfriend!
Ouch
You know what, Crispy and Paige? The old adage is true. “Beauty fades, but stupid is forever.” What do you two have going on in your own lives that can top Susan Boyle’s amazing achievement? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Carry on!
Oh, Steve. Here’s a dollar… buy yourself a sense of humor.
Just think of the fabulous tea parties she’s planning for her kitties as album sales roll in…no, no, Mr. Whiskers. We mustn’t start on our crumpets until EVERYONE is seated…
Paige, you may want to see a professional. Seem to have some misguided pent up hostility.
One thing I do know, she may be alone with her cat after this, but she will be alone in her mansion with her yacht docked out back! lol!! I could handle that kind of alone time for sure! lol
amazing acheivement? really? Curing cancer sounds like an AMAZING ACHEIVEMENT to me.. she’s just singing pop ditties as far as I remember…
I had an amazing achievement in the bathroom this morning.
…and…you’re interested in “curing cancer” yourself, which is why you’re spending your day crafting comments on the EW site!
i never said i made an AMAZING ACHEIVEMENT… douchous
lol crispy I love reading some of your comments! I agree that she has a good voice, but she isn’t really someone I can respect. She is just singing other peoples songs. There a tons of really great singers. that doesn’t mean they deserve record deals and millions of dollars.
Paige, dear. Don’t you have any friends you can regale with your bubbly personality and biting wit? Maybe some imaginary ones!
Congrats to Boyle. It’s a great album.
She’s sure to be big with the “Popera” set – Groben, Bocelli, Il Divo, etc. Basically, the middle-American audience that likes to pretend that they like “classical” music but really don’t know that the singers aren’t that great and the arrangements a little bland (ok, I take back Groban. The man’s sense of humor and personality are so winning he is fully forgiven). So this holiday timed Vanilla offering being a huge hit doesn’t surprise me in the least.
Hey, I live in Connecticut, and trust me – bad taste is nationwide.
Middle-America isn’t a location anymore – it’s a state of mind.
Bocelli does NOT belong on that list.
Naw, I would say he does belong on that list. He’s definitely of the ‘popera’ set.
He certainly does NOT belong on a list with Domingo, Callas, Carreras, te Kanawa, Pavarotti, Sutherland et al.
Oh, but he *so* totally does. He’s the epitome of popera dreck.
As a member of the Popera set, say what you want; she has an amazing voice, as does Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban and while people like Taylor Swift who looks pretty and makes it big lets be real; her voice live is terrible but everyone raves about her. That isn’t be mean about her; just honest. To demean Susan Boyle for her looks is shallow.
to praise susan boyle for her looks is equally shallow…
Deb wasn’t praising SB for her looks either. I don’t know anyone who is.
@John-that is a brilliant comment! I agree.
AMEN TO THAT john. i’m from “middle america” and while yes, we have our fair share of idiots and soccer moms..those people are everywhere!! i’m so sick of people blaming the sucess of something they don’t like on “middle americans”.
and p.s deb i’ve seen taylor swift live and her voice is fine. sure, she is no whitney houston but not everyone has to be. atleast her voiced isn’t auto-tuned to oblivion.
Susan is a true talent and she is herself, not some prepackaged image. She has a wonderful voice. I hope to hear more from her long into the future. Congratulations Susan!
If you like this album please give Bad Lieutenant’s new album called “Never cry another tear” a chance it is also a British album like this with great melodies and great guitar playing in it.
I know what it is. It is that the music/entertainment/media’s guesses about what people will like is based on faulty data. We like real people, not plastic ones. The collective consciousness is able to recognize talent even when it has not been recommended to us and pushed up our noses.
… don’t you think a casting show is the mother of every manipulative marketing idea there is… giving birth to loads of plastic people, thoroughly crafted by a record company??
)) (not that there is anything bad about it, it’s just sad when people start thinking it’s real…)
I love the fact that there are people who still buy an actual CD they can hold, and read liner notes etc.
I know this will be a great shock to you, but there are also still people who treasure their RECORDS and play them on actual RECORD PLAYERS. I know, crazy, right?
Her album is great and she deserves all the success in the world. She is the real life Cinderella!
this is what I am talking about… its all a gimmick
I honestly can’t see any reason to say anything negative here. She’s got a great voice, is an excellent interpreter of standards, and is a much humbler and nicer person than 98% of the a$$holes you meet everyday and 100% of the music biz stars. So stop being such a negative force. People who do that are just messed up and sad. …the same people who sucked in high school and peaked at age 17. You will have miserable lives, idiots, and it’s likely you won’t ever amount to more than assistant manager at Dunder Mifflin. So get a freakin clue
Way to keep it positive.
sounds like everything you said was negative, dude…
Um… John’s got a point there. But I’m with you in that people seem to revel in tearing others down. I bought the CD because I like her voice – she could have been a flashy young thing like GaGa, or a typical pop princess like Britney; I buy the music of those who please my ears, heart and mind. Whatever “gimmick” may have led to the music is irrelevent to me.
Lady Gaga might be a flashy young thing, but she DOES have a great voice, is well educated, writes her own music and performs LIVE while dancing on stage. That’s a real entertainer not someone who has a good voice and sings covers.
I never said she didn’t, Stacy – I merely said that I buy the music of those whose style/voice suit me. Sure, I’m more impressed by those who can also write their own songs, but that doesn’t invalidate my enjoyment of those who do not. Read what I said again – I never insulted GaGa or anyone else. Besides, Boyle is an ordinary person – not a trained and/or groomed individual. Do you think most of them just come out of nowhere like Boyle did? Hardly.
wtg multi ,great comment.you don’t think by any chance paige and crispy are sharron osbournes relatives do you.
I like SuBo, and I love the story of the little frumpy woman going on to global stardom in weeks, but the fact is, if you put a supermodels body with her voice, nobody would care.
Im genuinely happy for her, and I do like her voice, but the fact is shes only famous because shes a decent singer and is physically unattractive.
No she is famous because she has a beautiful voice
No. She’s not. It is demonstrably not that simple. Many people with beautiful voices are not famous.
That’s true, Sallah, but I doubt Boyle’s record would have sold if she didn’t have that voice. As this article mentions, many others have exploded on the internet, but faded very quickly from view. No doubt Boyle being so ordinary in contrast to her voice is the main factor.
Plain and simple, she has an astonishing voice, I downloaded the album from I-Tunes the first day it was there. Just because she isn’t the “perfect, perky pop tart” singer people look at doesn’t mean she doesn’t have amazing talent. Her voice is beautiful, she is a regular person who isn’t a media junkie; she is just doing what she loves. So what does she have? A voice you want to listen to.
I feel like Boyle appeals to an older audience, who are more likely to purchase CDs than download online. This is why acts like Whitney Houston and Elton John still sell lots of CDs.
The “older generation” don’t all still buy CD;s; I am past 40 and I only use an I-Pod and so do most of my friends.
T said that the generation in question is more *likely* to buy cds. Not that every single member of said generation buys cds.
Hmm, I am past 40 and have not put any music on mp3 player yet but I don’t consider myself part of the “older generation”. That is more 55+.
I’m 51, and buy both. I tend to get CDs of the more rare stuff, more obscure artists, and iTunes the stuff that’s easier to find. Now of course sometimes you don’t find a particular artist anywhere *but* iTunes.
Why don’t we give credit where it is due: Susan Boyle and her incredible, beautiful unique voice have made this CD the international record smasher that it is. Susan has a long career ahead of her if she wants it!
Sure, I’m sure she’s sweet as pie and she can certainly sing, but she’s a little “off” mentally and that will probably end up hurting her career. She has nervous breakdowns prior to scheduled public appearances, and it’s awfully tough to be a singer unwilling/unable to appear before an audience.
I give it six weeks before she’s shaving her head and running around in public without her knickers.
She does? Really? Interesting. Susan Boyle has performed 22 stops on a tour of Britain and Ireland, a bunch of songs live on the Today Show, a live performance on Brit tv, on DWTS, two performances in France, a live show in Germany, and numerous interviews. Too bad she can’t do performances. Yeah, right.
What does her supposed mental state have to do with her singing? It seems to me that that have been a multitude of successful artists that were ,and are, “a bit off”, and have done just fine.
kct, please keep up. I just explained that.
I think that there are buyers that wanted to get a mature sounding pop album rather than depending on floods of 18-19 producers and lots of sound effects and slick pop sounds for an entertaining, listenable effort. I think that’s what made Susan Boyle’s album sold well. Also, I think people wanted to look beyond her competing on TV this past spring and wanted to hear a full album by her. They’d rather think forward and hear Susan on her own.