Singer Susan Boyle unveiled a dramatic makeover on social media last week, teasing fans with the news that, a decade after her last studio album, "a new era" was soon to be launched. But those hoping for a new album from the 65-year-old singer may be disappointed to learn that the star's relaunch back into the public eye is as the face of a new ice cream ad campaign.
A new post on Boyle's Instagram overnight revealed that the singer had teamed up with Cornetto to sing a dance-heavy reimagining of the ice cream brand's ad jingle, titled Just One Cornetto (reMAXed). Susan Boyle doing opera vocals about Cornettos over a techno backing track is not what we expected from this comeback. Fan reaction has been mixed so far.
"Never in our wildest dreams did we expect a SuBo house remix of the Cornetto banger," read one top comment under the Instagram post revealing the jingle. "Brat summer walked so SuBo summer could RUNNN," another joked. Others were less supportive: "This is diabolical," read another review.
Boyle revealed a glam new look on social media last week and promised a "new era" was imminent. Late last week, Boyle had wiped her official Instagram account and uploaded a series of photos showing her in a sleek blonde bob and dark sunglasses, wearing a floor-length fur coat and looking more like Anna Wintour than the humble Scot who rose to worldwide fame in 2009 after her audition for the TV show Britain's Got Talent took viewers by storm.
Boyle ended up coming in second place to the dance troupe Diversity during the Britain's Got Talent finale, but she had the last laugh: Her debut album I Dreamed A Dream soon became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, shifting more than 10 million copies worldwide. Further covers-heavy albums followed – six of them, in fact, amassing a total of more than 25 million in record sales – but Boyle now hasn't released a new studio album in a decade.
Many expected last week's return to social media to usher in the start of a new album campaign, especially as Boyle had previously shared that she was working on new music behind the scenes. She first hinted that she was working on new music in May last year, sharing on social media that she had set foot inside a recording studio for the first time in six years. "Today was wonderful, emotional, and everything in between," she shared on social media at the time.
Boyle was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, in 2013 and has remained candid about her struggles with depression in the past, admitting her personal hurdles will never prevent her from doing what she loves in the spotlight. "It will not make any difference to my life," she told The Guardian. "It's just a condition that I have to live with and work through."
Boyle's long career absence could perhaps be explained in part by another serious health issue she's dealt with in recent years: She suffered a stroke in 2022. In a statement released today to announce her Cornetto campaign, Boyle said she "said yes immediately" despite being approached by brands "a lot" and usually turning them down. "It is the type of song which makes you feel good, I never thought I would hear myself in a dance track but I love it and I hope you guys do too," she said.
