INTERVIEW:THERE'S NO doubt that Katherine Jenkins, the 29-year-old Welsh soprano, has been graced with more than a lion's share of looks and talent – and so far she has been granted her fair share of success. Her 2004 debut album, Premiere,made her the fastest-selling classical artist ever and each time she releases a new album, it tends to join her previous ones in the upper reaches of the classical-music charts, writes KEVIN COURTNEY
Jenkins has performed for British troops in Iraq (her helicopter once came under missile attack) and is a favourite among sports fans, having sung the Welsh national anthem at last year’s FA cup final between Cardiff and Portsmouth, and performed at the opening of this year’s Ashes at the Sophia Gardens cricket ground in Cardiff. She performed at Tom Jones’s 60th birthday celebrations.
Her life seems to be a series of classical turns – including winning a classical Brit award, meeting Barbra Streisand, and singing with her heroes Andrea Bocelli and Placido Domingo in Tuscany. “That was amazing. I did have a bit of a moment where we were singing some music together and I was standing between these two men and I was just thinking, ‘How did this happen? How did I get here between Placido and Andrea?’ ”
Jenkins grew up in the market town of Neath in south Wales, the oldest of two daughters. She describes the town, nestling in a valley, as “a really nice place to grow up, with a good sense of community. You tend to know everyone. I do look back and think I had a great childhood, being brought up in a place with such natural beauty, and spending so much time out in the fields. And I think I’ll always take with me, that sense of community. That’s why it took so long for me to settle into London, because it doesn’t really have that sense of community. People don’t always know their immediate neighbours. I will always want that, and that’s why at some point I will move back to Wales.”
It wasn’t all idyllic for the budding young singer – when she was 15, her father died of lung cancer. Today, she and her sister Laura raise money for cancer charities, and Katherine has been appointed ambassador for Macmillan Cancer Support, which gave support to her family during her father’s illness.
“It’s not easy to lose a father at any age, but when you’re 15 and you need a male role model figure in your life . . . That was a really difficult time. Macmillan did a great job of looking after my father, and my sister is climbing Kilimanjaro for them, and I do concerts for them. I just think cancer is a massive thing that affects so many people.”
The teenage Jenkins was a big Take That fan and her devotion was repaid years later when Gary Barlow wrote two songs for her. When he invited her to appear as at an upcoming Albert Hall concert l for Children in Need, she jumped at the chance.
Now, though, her focus is on her new album, Believe. This the first fruit of what is reportedly the biggest ever record deal in classical music; Warner Music are confident this record will help Jenkins become a world-class diva. When her six-album deal with Universal ran out, there was no shortage of labels eager to sign up the soprano; but one thing clinched the Warner deal – a bloke named David Foster.
Foster has produced mega-selling albums by everyone from Michael Jackson to Cher, and helped propel The Corrs to international stardom. With Foster at the control desk – and as mentor to the young Welshwoman – Jenkins has come up with an album that raises the bar for classical-pop crossover.
“I absolutely adore what he does,” says Jenkins. “And I think it’s quite a different album for me, more crossover, more commercial, but I’m really proud of it, and I’m looking forward to people hearing it. It’s the album I’ve always wanted to make. This time there’s a little bit more unexpected choice of material, and I think some of them might give people a bit of a shock, but in a good way.
“Everything is just on a much bigger scale. I think David has a real way of getting people to stand up on their feet. He thinks about things in a live sense, just working live, and it’s been a totally different experience for me being in the studio with him.”
The album is a chart-friendly blend of original songs written for Jenkins by various top songwriters (including Foster); a duet with Andrea Bocelli; readings of popular songs such as Till There Was Youand the theme from The Godfather;and a couple of odd choices. Reggae fans might wonder what they put in the Welsh rarebit when they hear Jenkins' version of Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry.
"We had been talking about choosing wild card tracks, and David's co-producer suggested we try No Woman No Cry, but with a slower tempo and a different time signature. Almost like a lullaby, quite serene. We said, if it doesn't work we won't put it on the album, but thankfully it did."
Emo kids should brace themselves for the full operatic assault of Bring Me To Life,Jenkins's version of the goth-indie anthem by Evanescence. "I never thought that I would cover that kind of music, but the original vocalist [Amy Lee], she definitely had a trained voice, so it was easier to take it on with an opera voice – and anyway, she's a great singer."
Tackling the Evanescence tune took Jenkins out of her comfort zone – so far out that she was reduced to tears when Foster suggested her voice might not be up to the task. “That didn’t go down very well with me,” she laughs. “I went home and I did stew on it for a bit and I got myself a bit worked up. And then I went back the next day and did the vocal, and he was like: ‘Oh, actually, you can do it.’ ”
Bring Me to Lifeis the album's pulsating show-stopper and although the album is aimed at a pop, classical and easy-listening audience, maybe a few Emo kids might like it, too?
“That would be great, because I am trying to take more and more people into classical music. I always wanted to try and make classical music more accessible, because I think it’s all about how it’s perceived.
“And I totally understand that to some people it can be quite intimidating. I mean, I myself have felt quite intimidated when I’ve gone to things when I was younger. So I think it’s all about how it’s presented, and I think it’s about the image.
"Classical music has had a big image shift – you're getting people on programmes like X-Factorand Britain's Got Talentsinging classical stuff. Classical music was the pop music of its day, it really was written for everyone, so I think it's great that it's become popular again."
TV viewers are in for an eyeful and an earful of Jenkins over the next few weeks – her upcoming TV appearances include a royal variety performance and a return visit to Strictly Come Dancing. She'll also be dropping in on The Late Late Showon November 6th – try to compose yourself, Ryan. The biggie, though, is a Christmas special with Andrea Bocelli which will be broadcast on US TV.
Believeis out on Warner Music on Monday