Susan Boyle’s Success Continues with Japan Visit and Andrea Bocelli Duet

Since her unforgettable appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle has been living out her dream, and her journey shows no signs of slowing down. The Scottish singing sensation arrived in Japan yesterday, beaming with excitement as she prepared to perform on the country’s highest-rated New Year’s Eve television special.

Adding to her growing list of achievements, Boyle, 48, is set to sing alongside opera icon Andrea Bocelli on ITV1’s upcoming show Pop Star to Opera Star, where pop singers undergo training to perform classical arias.

Holding Her Own Against Bocelli on the Charts

Earlier this month, Boyle stunned industry executives when her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, clinched the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard charts, surpassing Bocelli’s holiday album, My Christmas.

A source told The Sun: “Susan has kept Andrea from the top of the charts for weeks—it’s unbelievable. But he has no hard feelings. In fact, he joked that he ‘must sing with this incredible woman.’”

Boyle’s album became an instant record-breaker, selling over 700,000 copies in its first week and setting the highest-ever pre-sale numbers on Amazon.

A Dream Duet with an Opera Legend

Bocelli, 51, who has sold over 70 million records and mentored contestants on American Idol, is expected to perform one of his most famous duets with Boyle—either Time to Say Goodbye or The Prayer, which he previously sang with Céline Dion.

This highly anticipated collaboration follows Boyle’s recent milestone of performing I Know Him So Well with her idol Elaine Paige on an ITV1 Christmas special that celebrated her rise to global stardom.

A Warm Welcome in Japan

Boyle’s popularity continues to soar internationally, and fans in Japan are eagerly awaiting her New Year’s Eve appearance. She is set to perform Wings to Fly, a traditional Japanese song, on Kohaku Uta Gassen—the nation’s most-watched year-end television program.

A source close to Boyle revealed: “Susan has been rehearsing a Japanese folk song, Wings to Fly, which she hopes to perform live for the first time.”

Interestingly, the song was originally included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of I Dreamed a Dream, which has soared to No. 1 in Japan’s album charts—despite Boyle never having visited or actively promoted her music in the country.

Meanwhile, ITV1’s Pop Star to Opera Star is already creating buzz, with pop artists like Will Young, Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh, and former Sugababe Mutya Buena rumored as possible contestants. Britain’s Got Talent season one winner Paul Potts is also being considered as a mentor for the show’s aspiring opera performers.

With an ever-growing list of achievements, Susan Boyle continues to prove that dreams truly have no limits.