If everyone isn’t up on their feet singing, I’m not doing my job
Mum’s the word for Katherine Jenkins as she talks to MARION McMULLEN about her singing again after her son’s birth and why she loves outdoor gigs
SINGING star Katherine Jenkins is determined her children will grow up knowing all about their Welsh heritage. “My daughter knows a few words,” smiles the Welsh-born singer, “all the really important ones like cwtch, which means cuddle. She comes and asks for a cwtch.
“We live in London, but it means a lot to me that she understands a little Welsh.”
The opera star and her husband Andrew Levitas became parents for the second time in April when they welcomed their son Xander into the world.
Among the first to say hello to the new arrival was his excited twoand-a-half-year-old sister Aaliyah. “She kept touching my stomach in the last part of my pregnancy and asking when the baby was coming,” laughs Katherine. “We put off telling her until the last minute because otherwise it would have been a really long wait for her, but she was so excited.
“My husband said to her ‘where do you think the baby is now?’ and tried to get her to touch my stomach, but she just said ‘Oh, he’s in the office.’ When I get online deliveries they always put them in the office and she just thought the baby was coming to the office as well. It made sense to her.
“She’s at the age when she’s saying a lot of funny things. You just want to freeze them at that age. It’s so lovely... and hilarious. She’s going to be a great big sister.”
The 37-year-old mum has had some time off to prepare for the new arrival, but has a busy time ahead of her. “I’ve got summer concerts and actually being pregnant was a lovely thing in terms of singing. You’re voice changes during pregnancy. It relaxes the muscles and you can sing really well.”
Katherine will be back performing at the Last Night Of The Kenwood Proms later this month and is looking forward to getting everyone up on their feet singing.
“It’s one of my first performances back and it’s such a lovely show,” she says enthusiastically. “I used to live in the area and I always loved it. “What I love about the show is that people really go for it. They bring along picnics and have a glass of wine and then they are up on their feet singing their hearts out. I love outdoor concerts so much.
“The atmosphere is wonderful.” She laughs: “They really go for it and it is so much fun. If everyone is not on their feet singing then I am not doing my job properly.”
Born in south Wales, Katherine learned to sing as a chorister of St David’s Church choir in Neath and her love of music was nurtured in the Welsh valleys. She has always credited her down to earth nature to her Welsh roots and her family, who she lovingly calls “The Taffia”.
She signed to Universal Classics when she was 23, and last year was named the number one classical music artist of the past 25 years in the Ultimate Classic FM Chart, with 12 number one albums in 12 years.
Along the way the mezzo soprano has appeared in a Doctor Who Christmas Special with Matt Smith, made her West End debut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and has been a presenter on BBC Songs Of Praise.
Katherine also proved she could tango, waltz and foxtrot when she came second on Dancing With The
Stars, the US version of
Strictly Come Dancing.
She was partnered with Mark Ballas – the son of Strictly judge Shirley Ballas – and says her classical music training helped her to meet the challenge.
“The thought terrified me, but I really pushed myself. I was training 18 hours a day by the time it came to the final and Mark has become a good friend.”
She giggles: “You’ve got to step outside your comfort zone once in a while.”
■ Last Night Of The Kenwood Proms with Katherine Jenkins takes place at Kenwood House on Hampsted Heath in London on Sunday, June 24 as part of the Heritage Live Concert Series. Go to ticketline.co.uk