It’s Intergenerational
The viral success that Susan Boyle experienced attracted large audiences in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and the sales of her debut album, which was released in 2009 and was titled I Dreamed a Dream, exceeded anyone’s expectations. Only in the United States did 701,000 copies of the album get sold during its first week of release, putting it ahead of its rivals, who included albums released by artists such as rapper Eminem and legendary music group U2. The New York Times reports that Boyle’s debut album had the most successful release week sales for a debut artist since Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle album in 1993. This album was released in 1993.
“People wanted to get it and own it, to feel like they’re a part of it,” Steve Barnett, the chairman of Columbia Records, said in an interview with The New York Times. “The reason that this record really did what it did was that people wanted to get it and own it, to feel like they’re a part of it.” I Dreamed a Dream was an instant hit with people of all ages and genders, dispelling initial concerns that her album would only be successful with an older audience demographic. “It spans generations,” said Barnett about the event. “When you sell that number, you are selling to everybody,” the salesman explained.