GenQ Music

Less than five years ago, mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins was providing singing lessons for ten pounds each. Now, after signing a 1 million pound record deal, the highest ever for a classical entertainer, Jenkins has re-written the history books across Europe. GenQ Music Editor Leigh May spoke with Katherine about her new album entitled Rejoice.

Hi Katherine, how are you today?
Hi Leigh, how are you? I’m good, thank you.

How are you enjoying Australia so far?
Oh, it’s wonderful! I’ve never been here this time of the year. It’s usually much, much colder, and I even went to Bondi yesterday. It’s a bit cloudy today, but it was so hot yesterday, so yeah, I’m having a great time.

There would have been a few nice bodies on the beach yesterday too then?
Haha, yeah, we had a great time, haha!

Your new album, Rejoice, has songs on it, such as “Somewhere” from West Side Story, Shirley Bassey’s “I (Who Have Nothing)”, and “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal, though your versions give a new take on these classic tracks. How do you select a song that you want to cover?
Well, I always have to bear in mind whether the song is going to translate well into a classical arrangement, and usually I choose them firstly because I like them, they’re songs that I’ve loved and wanted to sing myself, but you have to think “how is this going to sound if I’m going to translate it, if I have the big orchestral parts written. With “Kiss From A Rose”, to me, the chords already sounded quite medieval, so I wanted to really use that, and see how we could translate it into more of a classical piece. I really enjoyed that, it’s a really great song to begin with, so that one was lots of fun.

When it comes to classical music, what was it that made you decide to follow that path instead of more mainstream music?
Well, it wasn’t really a conscious decision, like waking up one day and saying “I want to be a classical singer”. It’s just that I learned to sing in my local church choir for a few years, and when I started having singing lessons, I’d never listened to classical music, my parents didn’t play it at home, but my singing teacher had heard that I’d been training my voice in this choir-girl, religious kind of way, and said “I think Classical music’s going to suit you”, and started teaching me some really beautiful pieces of classical music. That’s when I really fell in love with it, so it was more kind of something that suited me, and luckily I really enjoyed singing it as well.

Another of the tracks on your album is “How Do You Leave The One You Love”, and one thing I believe shows true musicianship is when the singer can convey their emotions in the lyrics. That’s definitely true for this track, so I was just wondering, was there a situation in the past where you had to leave someone that you loved?
Well, there was a reason why I chose the song … I try not to talk about my personal life when I can though, but when I sing songs like that, I think you HAVE to have understood, you have to know what that feels like. It’s like you can’t sing a song about heartbreak unless you’ve had your heart broken, I personally feel.  So when I choose songs like that, I try to call on my emotions and things that have happened to me in the past, so yeah, there is a little bit of that in there.

With all the tracks on Rejoice, what’s your favourite track? Also, what’s your favourite song to perform live?
Oooh … um … favourite song to perform live is probably “Time To Say Goodbye”, because it’s one of those songs that everybody seems to love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re singing to classical fans, or a rugby crowd, or old or young. It’s just one of those songs that’s quite emotional, and seems to connect to people quite well, so I love that one. On the new album, what’s my favourite song? It’s really hard, because I have favourites for different reasons. “Le Cose Che Sei Per Me (The Things You Are To Me)” is one of my favourite, and maybe “Sancta Maria”. I also like “Shout In Silence”, cos it was written by Gary Barlow from Take That, and he also played on it and produced it. I was a huge Take That fan when I was younger, the first time around, and so it was very strange to suddenly be in Gary’s house with him singing a song over a cup of tea, haha!

What was it like to meet him, and all other people you’ve met?
He was just brilliant, cos he’s so talented and very, very down to earth. Just lovely. I have to say, most of the people I’ve met have been just lovely. I think that people with real talent don’t have to create anything else, because the talents are there. Placido Domingo is one of my favourite singers, but also one of the nicest people I’ve met as well.

There’s a number of people who have suggested that the digital revolution will end the classical genre as we know it, and others have said that it will be revitalised by it. What are your thoughts?
I think classical music is going through a really interesting time right now. When I first started making my album, I’d talk to people, and I think they really sensed there was a barrier up, that it was only for the elite, the rich, the posh, you had to look a certain way if you were an opera singer. That’s definitely changed over the last few years. I know that, back home, the classical albums are up there with the pop albums, and I think that’s because the image has changed for the better, and I do think people relate to it easier … so, I don’t know, I’m not sure how that relates to the digital side of things, but I think, with downloading, the type of person who likes classical music wouldn’t necessarily be downloading, they’d prefer to have the hard copy of it. I don’t know how it will continue, but it’s great to see classical music going so well, and I think it has a lot to do with the change of image as well.

You recently denied being an opera singer, saying you have a mezzo-soprano voice, and won’t perform opera until you’re ready. Any idea when you think that may be?
Well, it should be by the time I’m 30, but what happened was there are a lot of critics out there who say I’m not an opera singer, and I agree, I never actually said that I was, everyone else said it. I consider myself a classical singer. I sing pieces of music from opera, but I’ve not yet done a full opera, because my voice is not yet fully ready. I’m a mezzo-soprano, which means I’m a little bit later to develop than a soprano voice, so by the time I’m 30 … I’m 27 now … that’s when my voice should be fully ready. I’m still training with my teacher, and I was just singing with Placido last week, and he’s going to help me with some training when I’m ready to go into opera, so it’s something that I’m really looking forward to.

With previous albums, you’ve now done 5 studio albums and have one left remaining on your initial record deal. Do you have any ideas on what that album will consist of?
I’m actually recording it next week, haha! I’m actually really excited about it. I can’t believe I’m already doing the 6^th album in 4 ½ years, and I think back to how nervous and excited I was about the first album, and it’s all come so quickly. My last album in this contract is probably going to be more classical than what I’ve done before, more sacred music, things I used to sing as a choirgirl, cos that’s where I started singing, so it seems to me to be kind of nice to be able to go full-circle and finish singing songs that I’ve always loved and inspired me in the first place.

In terms of the charts, you’ve appeared on the Australian End Of Year Classical Charts 5 times over the past 2 years …
Have I? Oh gosh … I didn’t know that!

Yeah! The highest position was #8 in 2006. Would appearing in the Top 5 for the first time be an ambition of yours?
Yeah, that would be incredible. Like I said, I never imagined that any of this would happen, so to even be on the chart is amazing, and I’m so grateful for everyone’s support, I’m just really, really grateful for everything that’s happened so far, and anything else is a bonus.

In terms of audiences, you’ve performed in Live 8, you’ve performed in front of the Royal Family and past Prime Ministers. Is there any particular setting or audience that you enjoy performing to the most?
Well, I really do just love performing, so just to be in front of an audience where you can just banter between the songs, have a chat, have a laugh, and to make the concert different to any other. I mean, to be able to perform back home for the Welsh Rugby Team can be in front of 74,000 people in a stadium, and the following night might be to 400 people in a church … I love that I get to do both, because obviously they’re very different audiences, and as a performer, it’s always good to be challenging yourself, and to know how to do your best concert within different settings.

What’s your most memorable, or weirdest, moment with a fan?
Um … ooh, I’ve got lots, haha! My favourite is pretty weird … my very first record signing, I turned up, and the first lady in the queue came up to me and said “will you sign this for my friend’s husband?” and I said “Sure, what’s his name?” and she said “well, he’s actually dead”, and I said “oh … but did you still want me to sign it?” and she said “well, yes, because it’s going into the coffin with him”. So I said “oh ok, well do you just want me to write best wishes or …?” and she said “no, I’d like more of a personal message on it”. I mean, I was only 23 at the time, and it was my very … the first person of my first signing first signing in my life, you know, can it be any more traumatic? Haha!

Haha! Well, how was the rest of the signing after that?
Well, it was very easy after that one, but it’s funny because I’ve been at other signings where someone from the record company or the store will say “I once heard of this poor girl who had to sign a cd to go in a coffin” and it became folklore, and I’m like “oh my god, that’s me!” haha!

Haha! Hey, this question just came into my head, and is totally off the subject, but I assume you’ve seen Little Britain …
Yeah, bits of it …

Are there any villages like Llanddewi Brefi, or people like Daffyd?
(laughs) um … there could be, haha! I mean, there are many, many places like Llanddewi Brefi, that’s a typical Welsh village, where everybody knows everybody else. I mean … I guess, hahaha! I don’t know really, I’m from a town, but I do love Little Britain, and I do love that sketch.

Well, getting back to your charts, you’ve received a lot of accolades such as Classical Brit Award Winner, the first classical British artist to have 2 #1 albums in the same year, and at one point, you even had #1, #2 and #3 in the charts at the same time …
And #4, hehe!

And #4? Wow, there you go! The list obviously goes on, but, out of all the accolades you’ve received, which is the one that you’re most proud of?
Well, I love my … the title I love the most is British Forces Sweetheart, cos I get to go out and entertain the troops, and that’s something very special to me, cos it’s all about going out and doing your bit and do some morale boosting, and it’s just very special to be out there in those areas. I think winning my Classical Brit Awards, and Best Album, because they’re voted for by the public. Also, both years I won, my Mum organised a bus trip from Neath, where I’m from in South Wales, and 50 of my friends and family came up to the Albert Hall, and everyone that means something to me was in that room when I won them, so it was kind of one of those moment where I have to walk past them all to accept the awards, and I saw them waving a Welsh flag, and I started crying, and they started crying, and it was all totally a Gwyneth Paltrow moment … twice! Haha!

Sounds really sweet!
Yeah, but it just meant so much more because they were voted for by the people who were there with me.

How do your family enjoy your success? Are they getting all these lavish presents and stuff?
Haha! Well, my Mum and my sister are so brilliant at handling this, and I hope they’re proud. I try to take them with me as much as I can, so if I’m going on a TV show with someone they really want to meet, I’ll try to take them, because I think that’s one of the best things, is to see how excited your family gets about it, and be able to share it with them. But my Mum is also rooted, a very down-to-earth Welsh mum, and the minute she thought I was maybe becoming a bit of a diva or something, she’d tell me off. She isn’t going to let me get carried away with any of this, I can guarantee you that.

Well, you were joking that you were going to call this album “Release The Diva”…
Hahaha yeah, because, with the type of music I sing, people kind of expect me to be a diva, and sometimes, just to live up to what people might expect, I could do that, but it’s hard because I’m not like that at all, it’d be my moment of pretending.

Ok, we’d better wrap this up, but before we go, do you have any messages for our readers?
Yeah, I’d just like to say it’s so lovely to be here in Australia, and I’ll hopefully be coming back, if not the end of this year, then early next year for my concert tour, so I’d really love to see everyone there, and, in the meantime, lots of love, and I’ll see you soon!

Katherine Jenkins' new album Rejoice is now available through Universal Music.

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