"Britain's Got Talent" contestant turned snickers into wows

LONDON — Before YouTube, Twitter and Simon Cowell, Susan Boyle's angelic voice might never have been heard outside parties and church services in her tiny Scottish village.

But now, thanks to a digital flash flood in the media age, the unemployed woman who claims to have never been kissed suddenly is a global sensation.

The frizzy-haired, squarely built Boyle, 47, walked onto the stage of "Britain's Got Talent" last week to barely suppressed snickers from the audience and skeptical eye rolls from Cowell, the unfailingly caustic judge on "American Idol" and the British show.

The audience laughed as Boyle did a saucy hip wiggle and said she'd like a chance to prove she could be as good as Elaine Paige, the legendary singer often called the first lady of British musical theater.

Those present clearly were prepared to howl.

Then Boyle opened her mouth. Within the first few bars of "I Dreamed a Dream," from the hit musical "Les Misérables," the audience was standing and applauding. The judges pronounced themselves shocked and impressed with Boyle's soaring vocals, and millions watching knew they had just seen a rare gem of a moment on live television.

"Without a doubt, this is the biggest surprise in three years of this show," said one of the show's other judges, Piers Morgan. "Everyone was laughing at you; no one is laughing now. Susan Boyle is not just a good singer, she's a fantastic singer. Someone whose stunning range, tone and delivery is worthy of comparison to anyone."

Out there in the couch-potato universe, actress Demi Moore and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, were watching. They, naturally, Twitter. Within minutes, Kutcher flagged the performance in a tweet, saying, "This just made my night." Moore told the couple's huge digital following that Boyle's voice "made me teary."

Between the massive television audience and the endorsement of the Hollywood Twitterati, Boyle went viral on YouTube. More than 5.6 million people have watched her on the site.

Bookmakers said she is favored to win the popular TV talent contest and perform at a Royal Command Performance attended by members of the British royal family.

As Boyle left the stage after knocking the world's socks off, Cowell told her she could return to her village "with your head held high."

Indeed, she has gone back to Blackburn, her home about 20 miles from Edinburgh in West Lothian, Scotland, where children now clap as she walks into stores, and television crews from around the world have begun rolling into town.

As details of her life emerge, Boyle's story only becomes more unlikely. The youngest of nine children, she lives alone with her cat, Pebbles. She spent years taking care of her mother, who died recently, and she lives in a government-subsidized home. She always wanted to sing in front of a large audience, but mostly she sings in church.

On Easter, the day after her television debut, Boyle — dubbed "the woman who shut up Simon Cowell" in one headline — received a standing ovation when she went to Mass.

"We let out a wee bit of a cheer for her. We are quite proud of her," said Boyle's parish priest, the Rev. Ryszard Holuka.

He added that Boyle is a "quiet soul."

"At gatherings and anniversary parties, she'd stand up and give a song," he said. "She never flaunted her voice; this is the first time it's been publicly recognized."

Holuka said that media interest in Boyle "seems to have gone out of all proportion" and that calls were coming in from the Netherlands and Australia.

Charles Earley, a neighbor who has known Boyle for 20 years, said it's a stunning turnaround for a "shy, solitary person who is suddenly somebody."

In a news release titled, "Susan Boyle goes global," Tom Kerr, a civic leader in West Lothian, said Tuesday that her performance had left "the live audience and the television viewers completely stunned."

Kerr said "tributes from across the globe are flooding in" to Blackburn, a village of 5,000 that is "firmly on the map."

The adulation has come with a tinge of guilt. On Internet sites where Boyle's story has been churned over endlessly, much of the discussion centers on how people initially had expected nothing from Boyle because of her unglamorous appearance.

Many said it was a poor reflection on the live audience that they were surprised when a "frumpy woman" turned out to have the "voice of an angel."

Boyle has noted the issue but seemed to be unfazed. In a British newspaper interview, she said she entered the contest at the behest of her late mother, who had urged her to "take the risk." She said it was "a bit of a shock" to see herself on television, and she thought she looked too fat: "like a garage."

"Modern society is too quick to judge people on their appearances," Boyle said. "There is not much you can do about it; it is the way they think; it is the way they are. But maybe this could teach them a lesson, or set an example."

Washington Post special correspondent Karla Adam contributed to this report.