Katherine Jenkins
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| Katherine Jenkins
<tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:Premiere.jpeg Katherine Jenkins in her first solo album, Premiere </td></tr>
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| Background information
<tr><td>Birth name</td><td colspan="2">Katherine Jenkins</td></tr><tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">June 29 1980</td></tr><tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">United Kingdom</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Pop, Crossover</td></tr><tr><td>Occupation(s)</td><td colspan="2">Mezzo-soprano singer</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1998-present</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Universal</td></tr><tr><td>Website</td><td colspan="2">katherinejenkins.com</td></tr> |
Katherine Jenkins (born 29 June 1980 in Neath, Wales) is a Welsh mezzo-soprano and the UK's best-selling 'classical' artist of all time.(dubious; discuss)
Jenkins has recorded several albums which feature arias, popular songs, hymns and crossover music and has performed in a large number of concerts around the UK and other countries (including the USA and Australia).
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[edit] Biography
In 1993 Jenkins was the BBC Welsh Choirgirl of the Year. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2004, at the age of 23, she signed the largest record deal in United Kingdom classical recording history, with an undisclosed seven-figure deal.
[edit] Performances
She was the first person to perform the Home Nations anthem The Power of Four.
She has also appeared regularly as the singer for the Welsh national anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau at Welsh international rugby matches. As well as her appearances before Rugby Union matches, in 2004, Katherine sang at the Rugby League Powergen Challenge Cup final between St. Helens and Wigan.
In August, 2004 she made her first US appearance supporting crossover soprano Hayley Westenra at Joe's Pub in New York City. In April and May of 2005, she supported Irish tenor Ronan Tynan on his first US tour as a solo artist.
She performed on the Berlin stage of Live 8 in 2005 the hymn Amazing Grace. Her interpretation was partly a vocal solo; for the rest she was accompanied by a single softly played piano.
Jenkins' Italian-language version of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You (L'Amore Sei Tu), first performed live at Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire on August 28, 2005, was the first cut on Jenkins' 2005 album Living A Dream.
Jenkins also sang lead on I Feel Love during Blue Man Group's performance at the 2005 Royal Variety Performance. She also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway on 11 December 2005.
In November 2006 she performed live before The Queen at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, singing a song written specially for the Queen's 80th birthday, and joining fellow Welsh singer James Fox in the final verse of Anthem from the musical Chess.
[edit] Awards and recognition
Between 1990 and 1996 Katherine was a member of the Royal School of Church Music Cathedral Singers, where she achieved the St Cecilia Award, its highest accolade. She twice won the BBC Radio 2 Welsh Choirgirl Of The Year contest, and won the BET Welsh Choirgirl Of The Year. Katherine was awarded the Pelenna Valley Male Voice Choir Scholarship for the most promising young singer, and at the age of 17 won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Katherine is the official mascot for the Wales rugby team.
Jenkins' album Second Nature was named the Album of the Year at the 2005 Classical Brit Awards on May 25, 2005. She repeated this success the following year with her Living the Dream album. This award is chosen by listeners of Classic FM.
Dame Vera Lynn has dubbed Katherine the new "Forces Sweetheart", a nickname given to Lynn during World War II, for her visits to entertain troops after the Iraq invasion.
[edit] Life off the stage
Jenkins is noted for her appearance, which was distinctive enough for her to work as a hair and makeup model[citation needed], though she is too short at approximately 5'3" for catwalk work, and also for her friendly nature. She is also a university graduate who taught music to children prior to being signed by Universal. Like many celebrities, she frequently has autograph signing sessions after concerts, although recently she has begun to have them separately in music stores due to heavy concert scheduling that sometimes requires her to leave immediately after performing.
To this day she maintains an apolitical stance[citation needed], though she is a supporter of the British Armed Forces wherever they go[citation needed]. She is also an ambassador for Montblanc pens and gifts <ref>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2769-2415442,00.html</ref>.
[edit] Personal life
Jenkins has one sister and her mother is still alive; her father, Selwyn Jenkins, died of cancer when she was a teenager, and she has remarked on missing him in her album liner notes.
She was romantically involved for four years with songwriter and former Worlds Apart boy band singer Steve Hart. However, they kept details of their relationship private, and were rarely seen in public together. Jenkins confirmed the couple had split in November 2006, so that she could concentrate on her career <ref>http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006510391,00.html</ref>.
[edit] Discography
Singles
- "Time To Say Goodbye" (2005)
- "Green Green Grass of Home" (2006) UK
Albums
- Premiere (2004)
- Second Nature (2004)
- La Diva (2005) (U.S. version of Second Nature)
- Living A Dream (2005)
- Serenade (2006)
[edit] References
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