Katherine Jenkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katherine Jenkins
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Jenkins in 2022
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| Born | 29 June 1980 Neath, Wales
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| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Andrew Levitas
(m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | |
Katherine Jenkins (born June 29, 1980) is a famous Welsh singer. She is known for her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice. She sings many types of music, including opera songs, popular tunes, musical theatre, and hymns.
Katherine became well-known in 2003 after singing at Westminster Cathedral. This performance honored Pope John Paul II's special anniversary. Since 2004, she has released many successful albums. These albums have done very well on music charts in Britain and other countries. Her albums won "Album of the Year" at the Classic Brit Awards in both 2005 and 2006. She has performed in many concerts and for the British Armed Forces in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. She has also sung at sports events, on TV shows, and for many charities.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Katherine Jenkins was born in Neath, Wales, on June 29, 1980. Her father, Selwyn John Jenkins, worked in a factory. Her mother, Susan, was a radiographer for the NHS. Katherine has a sister named Laura. She went to Alderman Davies primary school and Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School. She also attended Gorseinon College. She earned high grades in her exams. She also took part in school plays like Calamity Jane and Guys and Dolls.
Katherine studied singing with John Hugh Thomas. She passed her advanced music exams with top marks in both singing and piano. Her father passed away when she was 15 years old. Katherine has dedicated every award she has received to him.
Katherine's Music Journey
Starting Her Career in Music
From 1991 to 1996, Katherine was a member of the Royal School of Church Music Cathedral Singers. She earned their highest award for female singers. She also sang with the National Youth Choir of Wales for three years. She won the BBC Radio 2 Welsh Choirgirl of the Year contest twice. She also won the BET Welsh Choirgirl of the Year competition. She received a scholarship for being a promising young singer. At 17, she won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music. She graduated with honors and became a music teacher.
After teaching voice and working as a tour guide, she decided to focus on music. Universal Classics and Jazz heard her demo recording. They invited her for an interview where she sang an opera song. Universal offered Katherine a six-album deal. This was a very big deal in classical music at the time.
Achieving Album Success
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Between 2004 and 2008, six of Katherine's albums reached number one on the UK classical charts. She sold over 4 million copies in total. Her first album, Premiere, made her the fastest-selling mezzo-soprano. She was the first British classical crossover artist to have two number one albums in one year. She also became the first female artist to win two Classical BRIT Awards in a row. Her second album, Second Nature, was "Album of the Year" in 2005.
Katherine's third album, Living a Dream, was released in 2005. At one point, she held the top three spots on the classical crossover music chart. This album stayed at number one for almost a year. It also reached number four on the pop album charts. She won another Classical BRIT award for "Album of the Year" for Living a Dream.
Her fourth album, Serenade, came out in November 2006. It reached number five on the main music charts. It sold over 50,000 copies in its first week. This was a record for her type of music.
Her fifth album, Rejoice, was released in November 2007. It included songs written just for her by Take That's Gary Barlow. The album entered the pop charts at number three. Katherine was very happy, saying she never imagined outselling famous groups like the Spice Girls.
In October 2008, Katherine released Sacred Arias. This was her last album with Universal Music. She then signed a new, very large deal with Warner Music.
Her next album, Believe, was released in October 2009. It was her first with Warner Music. This album featured famous artists like Andrea Bocelli. She appeared on many TV shows to promote it. She performed a song from The Godfather with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. She also sang a cover of "Bring Me to Life" at The Royal Variety Performance.
In 2011, Katherine released Daydream. Her Christmas album, This is Christmas, followed in 2012.
After moving to Decca Records, she released Home Sweet Home in 2014. In 2016, she released the album Celebration.
In August 2017, Classic FM announced that Katherine was the best-selling classical artist in the UK over the past 25 years.
In November 2018, her 13th album, Guiding Light, was released. It reached number 2 on the charts. In May 2019, it became number 1. This made Katherine the first classical artist to have 13 number 1 albums.
After the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Katherine was asked by the BBC to be the first to record "God Save the King." This new national anthem for King Charles III aired on September 10, 2022.
Live Performances and Concerts
Katherine first gained public attention in October 2003. She sang at Westminster Cathedral for Pope John Paul II's special anniversary. She then toured with Aled Jones. In 2003, she performed at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
Katherine was the first to sing the anthem "The Power of Four". She often sings the Welsh national anthem "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" at Welsh international rugby matches. In 2005, she became the official mascot for the Wales rugby team.
In January 2005, Katherine sang at the Tsunami Relief Concert in Cardiff. In May, she sang in Trafalgar Square for 15,000 people. This celebrated the 60th Anniversary of VE Day. At Live 8 in Berlin in 2005, Katherine sang "Amazing Grace". She also helped launch The Royal British Legion's poppy appeal.
In December 2005 and 2006, Katherine traveled to Iraq. She performed for soldiers there during Christmas.
In November 2005, she sang "I Feel Love" with the Blue Man Group for the Queen. She also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, in December 2005.
In November 2006, she sang for the Queen again at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance. In July 2007, Katherine performed a concert at Margam Park. She sang with Paul Potts and Juan Diego Flórez.
In November 2007, she was named classical performer of the year. With Darcey Bussell, she appeared in a stage show called Viva la Diva. This show honored stars like Madonna and Judy Garland. Katherine learned to tap dance for the show. She performed the Welsh National Anthem at the 2008 FA Cup Final. She was the first person to do this.
In early 2009, Katherine performed in South Korea with Plácido Domingo. They had also performed together in Hong Kong and Athens. They sang together again at The Classical Brit Awards in May 2009.
On July 8, 2009, Katherine performed at the opening of the Ashes Test Series in Cardiff. On September 12, 2009, she sang in Hyde Park for Proms in the Park.
On September 21, 2009, she sang "Pie Jesu" at the memorial service for Sir Bobby Robson. In November 2009, Katherine performed a duet with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber for Children in Need. She also sang "I Believe" with Andrea Bocelli for his Christmas TV special. In May 2010, she sang the Canadian Anthem in Argentina.
In June 2010, Katherine performed a comedy routine with pianist Kev Orkian. In July 2010, she performed at Cheltenham Racecourse with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Katherine performed at the opening night of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in July 2010.
In March and April 2013, Katherine toured with Il Divo in Europe and the UK. She also sang at the 2013 U.S. Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C..
On May 9, 2015, she performed at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in London.
In 2017, Katherine starred as Julie Jordan in the musical Carousel. She performed with musical theatre star Alfie Boe.
On December 1, 2020, the Katherine Jenkins Christmas Spectacular was released. It was shown in cinemas and on DVD.
Television and Film Appearances
On December 23, 2006, Katherine appeared on ITV's Parkinson show. She was backed by a male voice choir and a brass band.
She made a small appearance in two episodes of Emmerdale. In July 2007, she performed live on Saving Planet Earth on BBC 1. This helped raise money for the BBC Wildlife Fund.
On August 12, 2007, she appeared on ITV's Britain's Favourite View. She chose Three Cliffs Bay in Wales as her favorite.
On October 21, 2007, she sang "Time to Say Goodbye" on Strictly Come Dancing. Katherine and Darcey Bussell performed part of their show Viva la Diva for the Queen. On December 15, Katherine performed on The X Factor final with contestant Rhydian Roberts. She has also sung on the BBC show Songs of Praise. She became a presenter for the show in 2017.
In 2009, Katherine performed on many TV shows. These included The Royal Variety Performance and Children In Need Rocks The Albert Hall. She also presented the BBC series The Week We Went To War.
In 2010, Katherine was a mentor on the ITV1 show Popstar to Operastar. She also appeared on the game show Magic Numbers. She played Abigail Pettigrew in the 2010 Christmas Special of Doctor Who, "A Christmas Carol". This was her first big acting role. In April 2011, she was a featured singer on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
On October 23, 2011, Katherine sang "God Save the Queen" live on FOX from Wembley Stadium. This was before an NFL game.
In 2012, she competed in the American Dancing with the Stars. She and her partner, Mark Ballas, finished as runners-up.
In July 2012, Katherine sang in concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In April 2017, Katherine appeared on Operation: Magic. She was the assistant to magician Richard Jones.
In June 2018, Katherine performed 'Never Enough' from The Greatest Showman. This was at the Classical Brit Awards in London.
In 2020, Katherine competed as "Octopus" on the first British series of The Masked Singer. She finished in third place.
Katherine made her first movie appearance in Minamata (2020). She starred alongside Johnny Depp.
Personal Life and Interests
Katherine is a Christian. She believes her father is in a good place. To honor him, she raised £25,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. She did this by running the 2013 London Marathon.
When she was 19, Katherine faced a difficult experience where she was attacked and robbed.
Katherine's autobiography, Time to Say Hello, was released in January 2008.
In her 20s, Katherine was listed among the richest people under 30 in Britain. In 2007, she was estimated to be worth £9 million. By 2010, her wealth was estimated at £11 million.
Katherine met Welsh TV presenter Gethin Jones in 2007. They got engaged in February 2011. They announced they were no longer together in December 2011.
In October 2013, Katherine started dating American painter Andrew Levitas. They announced their engagement in April 2014. They married at Hampton Court Palace on September 27, 2014. Katherine gave birth to their daughter in September 2015. Their son was born in April 2018.
Katherine was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2014. This was for her contributions to music and charity work.
Cygnet Gin Business
In June 2023, Katherine Jenkins launched her own line of gin called Cygnet 22. She explained that gin is a "cleaner" drink for singers. It does not affect their voice as much as other types of alcohol. The name "Cygnet" comes from the term for a baby swan. This animal is a symbol of her hometown, Swansea. The number "22" refers to her age when she received her first big music deal. Katherine describes her brand as "eco-friendly." The bottles are 100% plastic-free. Their seals are biodegradable and made from wood pulp in Wales. The Cygnet 22 bottle also weighs much less than average spirit bottles. This means less material is used and less energy is needed for transport.
In March 2024, Katherine launched a canned Cygnet gin and tonic drink. She did this before a Wales versus Italy rugby match.
Discography
Studio albums
- Premiere (2004)
- Second Nature (2004)
- Living a Dream (2005)
- Serenade (2006)
- Rejoice (2007)
- Sacred Arias (2008)
- Believe (2009)
- Daydream (2011)
- This Is Christmas (2012)
- Home Sweet Home (2014)
- Celebration (2016)
- Guiding Light (2018)
- Cinema Paradiso (2020)
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Minamata | Millie | |
| Dream Horse | Herself – performer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Doctor Who | Abigail Pettigrew | Episode: "A Christmas Carol" |
| 2014 | Under Milkwood | Polly Garter | TV movie |
| 2015 | Live with Kelly and Ryan | Herself - Performer | |
| 2016 | Katherine Jenkins: Home for Christmas | Herself - Performer | TV movie documentary |
| 2020 | Katherine Jenkins at 40 | Herself - Performer | TV movie documentary |
| 2023 | Christmas with Katherine Jenkins | Herself - Performer | Christmas Concert |
See also
In Spanish: Katherine Jenkins para niños
