1999 recording of Susan Boyle signing Cry Me A River

She's apparently been well-known for years for her great voice, but only locally in and near her Scottish village.

It's astounding that such a talented singer managed to remain hidden in obscurity from the general public for all these years. Probably due to her unconventional spinster lifestyle and her frumpy, less than glamorous, appearance (upon which people naturally and unfairly judged her), and also perhaps due to the fact that she apparently stopped singing for a while to care for her ailing mother.

She also sang My Heart Will Go On on the CNN Larry King show. Not a bad performance, given the lack of preparation and musical back-up, but not quite as stunning as her Britian's Got Talent debut. Celine Dion is still the champion for singing this song, in my opinion...