She told the judges she was 47 and came from Blackburn, a village in West Lothian, Scotland. Her dream, she said, was to be a professional singer.
Then she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige, the star of the London stage. Some people in the audience laughed.
She was going to sing “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables.
The music started. Susan began to sing, and within a few notes the whole room changed. The cheering grew louder and louder, and before long the audience was on its feet.
When she finished, Piers Morgan called it “the biggest surprise” he’d had on the show.
Amanda was honest. “I know that everybody was against you,” she said. “I honestly think that we were all being very cynical, and I think that’s the biggest wake-up call ever.”
Simon smiled. “Susan, you are a little tiger, aren’t you?”
It was three yeses. Piers called his “the biggest yes I have ever given anybody.”
What few knew that night was how much it meant to her. It was the first time she had sung in public since her mother died. It was her mother who had urged her to enter the show.
The audition aired on April 11, 2009, and was watched by more than 10 million viewers. Susan finished second in the final, but her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, became the UK’s best-selling debut album of all time.
Do you remember where you were the first time you heard Susan sing? Share this with a friend who never gave up on a dream.