Susan Boyle: To sing for the Obamas
SUSAN BOYLE is being wooed to give the most important performance of her life, to sing privately for President Barack Obama and his family at the White House.
Boyle, 48, whose debut album sold 701,000 copies in its first seven days to top the US album chart last week, has become a personal favourite of the Obamas.
Now they want her to perform her signature song, I Dreamed A Dream from the musical Les Miserables, at First Lady Michelle’s 46th birthday in front of a “small, intimate gathering” in their private quarters on January 17.
A senior White House aide told the Sunday Express: “It will actually be a double celebration because three days later, January 20, marks the first anniversary of the president taking office. “I would expect that a formal invitation will be made to Miss Boyle in the very near future. The President and First Lady absolutely love her voice and will be delighted if she agrees.”
Susan’s album, named after the Les Mis song she performed at her first audition for Britain’s Got Talent, is No 1 in the US and UK charts, while her single, a cover of the Rolling Stones classic Wild Horses, is rising more slowly, debuting at No 27 in the UK and No 62 in America.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards stand to earn around £2million in royalties. Jagger’s lyrics were inspired by his lover, Marianne Faithfull. Los Angeles media analyst Mike Raia said yesterday: “Susan’s success in America has been phenomenal.
“She’s out-performed Rihanna and Lady GaGa in the charts and registered an all-time record on Amazon for advance orders but now the big test is about to come: Can she hack it in front of huge audiences or smaller gatherings of VIPs? This is a cruel business and, if she can’t, her popularity could wane as quickly as it has grown.”
Referring to her well-publicised emotional difficulties in coping with her overnight success, he added: “If she accepts the White House gig, it will either be the greatest moment of her life or, if she fluffs it for even a second or two, the worst nightmare imaginable.”
This weekend Susan is reported to be recording her “An Audience With...” style Christmas for ITV, with guests including BGT judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden, and possibly her biggest Hollywood fan, film star Demi Moore.