The past calendar year might be best remembered for the nation's first black President, as well as the worst example of parenting in our nation's history, but Susan Boyle must also be included on any list of memorable 2009 celebrities.

The Scottish singer rose from obscurity to break sales records around the globe for her debut CD, "I Dreamed a Dream."

What has the past few months been like for Boyle? TV Guide spoke to her in-depth this week, touching on topics that ranged from reality TV to her mother's passing...

On applying for Britain's Got Talent: I had promised my mum that I would do something with my life just before she died. So I applied for it, filled out the application form, went through the preliminaries, went before the panel and then was lucky enough to be picked by them.

On auditioning with I Dreamed A Dream: It was just a song I loved from a musical I loved. I'd seen a production of Les Miserables in Edinburgh, and I liked the mother figure. It was after my mother died that I'd seen the show, and I loved the song and what it meant.

On her late mother: It was life-changing not having her to depend on so much. I had to learn to do things for myself...  This was a promise that I'd made to my mum - that I'd do something with my singing. She was the reason I pursued my singing... I couldn't straight away because the bereavement hit me hard. But I'm getting over that slowly and putting my promise into practice.

On musical background: I've sung since I was about 9. I'd do theatrical stuff and join choirs. I was picked for a solo once, but choirs for me were about hiding behind other people. They were about taking comfort in letting other people take the lead. I was quite shy back then. Hard to believe after everything that's happened this year, I know! But I was. By the time you get to my age, you lose that shyness.