Susan Boyle Proves that Looks Ain't What Counts in Music

Today is the day of Britain's Got Talent semi-final, and Susan Boyle is ready. There's no word about which song she'll sing, and she swears she won't transform herself either. She is just concentrating on her performance. Her performance will hit the web instantly on the Britain's Got Talent site.

The photos of Boyle available online show this "frumpy" woman caught quite unaware by the media attention, particularly the paparazzi. For the last month, she has become an overnight sensation. How this takes its toll on her will play out in today's performance.

Think about 30 or 40 years ago, during the time before cable TV and MTV, before the Internet, and you will find many popular musicians of the day were physically unattractive. Their music spoke for itself and dominated the consideration of whether the musician was any good. You might see a photo on an album cover, or they might appear on a TV variety show, but still, the looks - good or bad - played a much lesser role in popularity than it does today. Those that did have the looks would branch into TV as a way of promoting perhaps a less than stellar musical talent.

The question becomes one of just how much real talent goes unheard just because the physical package isn't considered attractive? Susan Boyle is proof of that.