Opera star reveals why Glasgow is special to her
KATHERINE JENKINS TELLS OF NEW BABY AND PERFORMING FOR THE QUEEN AS WELL AS OFFERING HONEY HEALTH TIP
THE last thing you want when speaking to one of the country’s most pure and powerful voices is a sore throat.
The day I speak to Katherine Jenkins, the woman who pioneered classical crossover, my voice is cracking and groaning thanks to a cold in its third week of making me miserable.
A singer, however, is exactly the right person to come to with such a problem. If there’s one thing Katherine needs to soothe and protect, it’s her voice.
“Manuka honey,” is the answer. “The common misconception is people put it in hot water and drink it. What you have to do is swallow a tea spoon three times a day but hold it in your mouth and let it run down your throat.”
So, there you are – free health advice from Katherine Jenkins. Of course, the professionals aim to not take ill in the first place and Katherine, who is gearing up for a UK-wide tour in December, says health is hugely important to her.
The 36-year-old ran the London Marathon in 2013 but says her fitness has changed since completing that challenge. “My fitness has definitely changed since then.
“I still run but I’m more into boots camp classes and things like yoga. I need more variety to keep it interesting.”
Her fitness routine is not the only part of her life that has had a complete makeover since 2013. In the same year, Katherine met the dashing American filmmaker Andrew Levitas and, following a whirlwind romance, married him a year later.
They are now proud parents to daughter Aaliyah Reign, who celebrated her first birthday on September 29.
In an interview before her marriage, Katherine said she didn’t feel working as an opera singer was compatible with motherhood. But, after being back in the recording booth when Aaliyah was three months old, a stellar year that has involved singing for the Queen’s 90th birthday, a record-breaking new album and an impending UK-tour, she’s clearly changed her mind.
“Yes,” she says. “I have changed my mind because I didn’t know how I was going to feel.
“I had her and I realised I wanted her to see that mummy goes out to work and is dedicated and responsible and works hard – and if I stop now she won’t get to see that.
“There are certainly new challenges. I can’t just go off and do three months in the Far East, so it means I choose tours where I can take her or choose things where I don't have to be away.”
When we speak, it is the 13th annual International Day of the Girl, and women are being encouraged to say what changes they would like to see in society to make life more equal for girls and boys.
IKNOW that having a daughter I do feel I have a different responsibility Katherine says.
“I want to teach her about a strong women who are successful and talented excellent in whatever they may be but without having to do anything like show their bodies and be sexy.
“I want to show her positive role models an the different ways women can be successful in the world.
“I am always trying to create a positive environment so that if I’m talking about things like food then it’s not about looks, it’s about trying to be strong for my singing.”
Although she wants to be a good role model for her daughter, Aaliyah is, Katherine says, finding her mum’s singing hard to get used to.
“I was on tour for a lot of the time I was pregnant”, she said, “So she’s heard a lot of classical music and she knows my singing.
“The problem is when I warm up my voice she bursts into tears. I don’t know whether she thinks I’m telling her off so I try to do it with a huge smile on my face.
“Or maybe she’s just trying to say, ‘Mummy, I’m bored’.”
With a tour planned that will take her away from her daughter in the run-up to Christmas, Katherine also admits she has started Christmas shopping already.
She will be bringing her Celebration tour to Glasgow on December 20 – and if you want tickets you’ll need to move fast, as there were only 10 left at time of going to press – and said she is looking forward to seeing the city again.
Glasgow has a special meaning for her as her maternal grandmother was from the city, although she’s not exactly sure where. But, generously, she offers to ring her mum and find out.
She said: “I love to walk around the city, especially at that time of year. I’m really looking forward to being back in Glasgow and it will be really special because it’s one of the last shows I do before Christmas. Because of that, it’s going to be a really interactive show with lots of carols for people to join in with.
“And I’m going to be singing Ae Fond Kiss, which I hope goes down well with the Scottish audience.”
CELEBRATION, the album, was released earlier this year and stormed the classical charts.
Katherine, a firm favourite with the Royal family, is well known for being patriotic and this album, which partly marks the Queen’s 90th birthday, is a reflection of that.
With an American husband and a home in New York, Katherine is clearly trying to keep in touch with her Welsh and British roots with the album.
She said she is delighted to have had such a fantastic year with Celebration and is now looking ahead to 2017.
She said: “I don’t have any expectations of myself.
“Then I was told I was number one in the classical charts, making it my 12th number one in 12 years, which has never happened before in chart history – I didn’t know that was possible, I didn’t know that was a record to break.
“For next year I have a lot of exciting projects in the works that I can’t really talk about. I don’t know how I’m going to top this year but I’m certainly going to try.”