Susan Boyle

Boyle's Britain's Got Talent audition in 2009 is one of the clearest single moments of sudden international recognition. She was 47, with years of local singing behind her, when the televised performance reached audiences far beyond the room. The distinction matters: the public encounter was new, while her commitment to singing was not. Revisit the performance with that earlier experience in mind. Its power comes from the voice and delivery, without needing the patronising assumption that somebody who looked unfamiliar could have had no preparation.