What The Group That Beat Susan Boyle On Britain's Got Talent Is Doing Now
Believe it or not, it's been 10 years since Susan Boyle stole the spotlight as quite possibly the most underrated Britain's Got Talent contestant of all time, blowing the Internet away with her voice during the third season of the show. Boyle made it to the finals that season, but ultimately lost to Diversity, a street dance troupe. Prior to appearing on Britain's Got Talent, the group had only been together for two years, but their connection and natural talent quickly catapulted them to fame.
After the TV competition, Boyle recorded an album and is still touring today, but what about the group that beat her? These days, Diversity is having no trouble keeping busy as they've continued to tour and dance all over England. Over the years, the troupe has seen members come, go and come back. In 2017, the group mourned the death of former Diversity member, Robert Anker, who died in a car accident.
Through the ups and downs, the group has persevered and enjoyed quite a ride along the way. Here are some highlights from their post-BGT career.
After Britain's Got Talent, Diversity took their show on the road
Following their win in 2009, the dance troupe joined Britain's Got Talent — The Live Tour. After that, they had multiple sold-out tours of their own, including 2018's "Ignite" tour and 2013's "Limitless" tour.
Diversity's most recent tour, "Born Ready: 10 Year Anniversary Tour", wrapped up in November 2019, marking a decade of dancing all across England. When the troupe first announced the event, they wrote on Facebook, "We cannot believe its been ten years since we won Britain's Got Talent and we cannot wait for you all to see this show. We are coming to theatres up and down the country for one of our biggest tours yet!"
Luckily, anyone who missed their shows hasn't completely missed out. The group's official website teases, "fear not, the guys will be back on tour in the Spring of 2021. Tickets for their new tour will go on sale at some point during 2020, so make sure you keep an eye out!"
They've returned to their roots in multiple ways
Back in 2016, Diversity returned to their roots to celebrate Britain's Got Talent's 10-year anniversary along with other standout acts from the long-running reality series. Troupe member Ashley Banjo created a 10-minute routine for the occasion, according to the group's official website.
Their BGT legacy didn't end there. There was even a Diversity Junior dance troupe, DVJ, that was mentored by Banjo and competed on BGT in 2018. While the group didn't win the competition like their predecessors, they made it to the finals of their season and won over the hearts of plenty of fans along the way, according to Metro U.K.
Another career highlight tied to Diversity's English roots included performing for Queen Elizabeth II in December 2009 at the Royal Variety Performance. The dance group touts the royal moment on their website and joined a roster of some major talents at the event, including Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Michael Bublé and more.
Diversity doesn't show any signs of slowing down
Just in case performing for the Queen of England or touring for the better part of a decade wasn't enough, the members of Diversity have kept busy in tons of other ways – including starring on TV. Ashley Banjo had a reality series called Ashley Banjo's Secret Street Crew from 2012-2014, which attempted to turn non-dancers into dancers with mentoring help from his group mates. After that, Banjo hosted another series in 2014 called Big Town Dance where he tried to coordinate a huge street dance performance.
In addition to having their own reality shows, Diversity has performed on a slew of other TV series, which per their website, include: Red or Black?, Born to Shine and Saturday Night Takeaway. They also appeared on China's Got Talent in 2010.
As for what's ahead, Diversity's website announced that members Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely landed a radio show on KISS!. Their website also notes that the group will be starring in a Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime at the Milton Keynes Theatre from December 2020-January 2021. Oh, and don't forget about their next tour happening in Spring 2021! Basically, this group plans to continue to shine in the spotlight for years to come.