The 47-year-old’s unexpected success can be attributed to his performance of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables for Simon Cowell and the other judges on Britain’s Got Talent. The wild underdog audition shot her to international stardom. Her story continues to motivate countless people even now. “I used to be a kind of spectator looking outward at the world,” Boyle said following her breakthrough, “But now I’m a part of that world, and though frightening, I’m going to embrace it.” The first year of her superstardom brought in $6.8 million in earnings. Susan Boyle gives a sneak peek inside her renovated childhood home. The publication of her second studio album propelled her to the top of the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, making her only the third artist to accomplish this feat. This timid, unassuming Scotsman, then 47 years old, shot to fame and fortune overnight. Susan Boyle has never changed who she is as a person, despite the fact that her job has taken her all over the world and made her a multi-millionaire. The singer still maintains her childhood home in Blackburn, Scotland, in contrast to the extravagant lifestyles of many other superstars.