Pop Icon's Death, New Star's Unexpected Success Among Events that Marked 2009 in Rock, Pop, R&B
The death of a 'king' and the birth of a star are just two events which shaped this year's pop music landscape.

In a pop landscape defined largely by image, Susan Boyle stands as the ultimate outsider. On April 11, audience members openly laughed at the frumpy 48-year-old as she introduced herself on the Britain's Got Talent TV show. Her performance of "I Dreamed A Dream" left many in tears, while becoming the year's most-watched video clip on YouTube. It attracted more than 120 million viewings, helping Susan become the fastest-selling debut artist in UK music history. In its first month, her album, also titled I Dreamed A Dream, has sold a reported five million copies worldwide.

When she went out to Kouhaku, it was surprised.