Katherine Jenkins exclusive interview

10-11-2008 11:10

Katherine Jenkins

Katherine Jenkins was discovered when she was just a 12 year old choir girl and has gone on to be an international opera sensation .

With the release of her DVD collaboration with Darcey Bussell out on November 10 FemaleFirst caught up with the stunning Welsh sensation to find out what makes her tick.

How are you and what have you been getting up to recently?

My new album just came out so it’s been a really manic week doing record signings and tv shows like This Morning and I have Saturday Kitchen tomorrow.

Sounds exciting! Tell me a little bit about your new album and do you write all the songs yourself?

I don’t usually write songs, I just help with the arrangement of them. With this album I wanted to go full circle and go back to the beginning and make an album of al the things I sung as a chorister. It’s all religious and spiritual songs and it doesn’t really matter what religion you are or if you’re religious at all.

Tell me a little bit about Viva La Diva

The concept of the show is that we pay tribute to all the diva’s who inspired us to do what we do today. It was an interesting concept because people would expect us to have been influenced by certain people but people were surprised to learn that I have been influenced by Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, Julie Garland and Barbara Streisand.

So it’s actually become a variety show as I will sing and Darcy will dance in lots of different styles but we also swap roles so Darcey has to sing and I have to dance. It’s very glamorous, very fun and high energy show which was filmed at the O2 arena in London and we loved doing it.

Did you find ballet challenging?

The DVD is just one filmed performance so it’s a live performance so I didn’t have any time to get it wrong but because we’ve been out on tour twice I had been practicing for months and months before the show. It’s like a pop concert DVD of our show.

Who do you think had the harder task; you learning to dance or Darcey to sing?

Ooh, that’s a tough one, it’s hard for both of us because we were both massively out of our comfort zones. I don’t think it’s fair to say. It was hard for both of us.

We saw you on Strictly Come Dancing; are you a fan of the show?

Yes I am a huge fan of the show. I was on it last year and I’ve always watched the show.

Who is your favourite dancer this year?

Well heather Small is a friend of mine so I’m just hoping that she doesn’t end up in the bottom too again because she has the ability, it’s just all about nerves. I’m also really enjoying John and Cherie dance; it would be nice to see an older lady win it because she’s so elegant.

How did you first discover you had such an incredible voice?

I’ve always wanted to sing from a really young age and have been singing all my life. I joined my church choir and was there for 10 years and then I went off to study at the Royal Academy of Music and when I graduated from there I got offered the record deal so it’s been continuous really and I’ve been very lucky.

So if you hadn’t started the ball rolling early; what do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t a singer?

I was a singing teacher for a little while so I think I’d be doing that still.

What has been your proudest moment so far?

I think going to entertain the troops in Iraq was a really amazing experience for me and one that really affected me as I’m now a trustee for the British Forces Foundation so I’m very much involved in fundraising and things.

Have you ever had any really low moments where you’ve thought about giving up?

I think there can be times when it’s really tiring when you’re in the middle of promoting and album and you’re on tour and you’re travelling abroad a lot it can be really tiring and I think the schedule can get a little bit insane but I love what I do so I wouldn’t want anything to change.

What would you still like to achieve?

There are still loads of things I want to do. I would like to go into Opera at some point. I’m going to America in February to make a new album so I’m looking forward to that and I would like to at some point, have a family. There is loads on my ‘to do’ list!

We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person and Lee Stafford Lee Stafford wants to know what you think of the X Factor?

Well I’ve also been on X Factor so I do watch it too. It really makes me laugh in the first few weeks when the auditions are on.

Is there anyone you really like?

The Spanish girl, Ruth.

So finally can you come up with a question for the next person I interview please?

If I gave you an elephant where would you hide it?

Haha, I like it… where would you hide yours?

With my other one!

FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison