"Proud" is a song by

Wayne Hector Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...

Steve Mac Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British ...

and Andy Hill originally written and recorded for the British television drama series ''

Britannia High ''Britannia High'' is a British musical drama television series co-produced by Granada Television and Globe Productions for the ITV network. The series focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their mentors at a fictional London theat ...

''. The song was later covered by Scottish singer

Susan Boyle Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer. She rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from '. Boyle's debut studio album, ''I D ...

for her debut album ''

I Dreamed a Dream "I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical ''Les Misérables''. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyri ...

''. In the ITV drama series the song is performed in episode 1.03 by the character Jez Tyler played by

Matthew James Thomas Matthew James Elwyn Thomas (born 3 March 1988), also occasionally credited as Matthew Thomas, is a British actor who has made appearances in television, film, and theater. He is known for his television roles including the BAFTA and Emmy Award-w ...

. The song features on the 2008 ''Britannia High''

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

Writing and inspiration

The song was written specifically for the Britannia High television programme. The original inspiration was a teenager talking to a father that doesn't understand him. In an interview with HitQuarters Hector recounts how the writers composed the lyrics:

"We drew on the things that we felt about our own relationships with our dads when we were younger. I've got a good relationship with my dad now but, as is usual, when you're a teenager and the whole world is against you … I mean, not everybody has a tense relationship, but both of us did.""Interview With Wayne Hector"
, ''HitQuarters'', 1 Feb 2010.

Susan Boyle version

"Proud" was covered by Scottish singer

for her debut 2009 album ''

''. Despite being originally written about teenage-parent conflict, the song arguably found greater resonance when Boyle reinterpreted the song to suit her own real life feelings.

References

{{reflist Susan Boyle songs 2008 songs Songs written by Steve Mac Songs written by Wayne Hector Songs written by Andy Hill (composer) Song recordings produced by Steve Mac