IT’S BECOME A FAMILY AFFAIR...
KATHERINE JENKINS ON LOVE, LOCKDOWN AND TURNING 40
ON MONDAY Katherine Jenkins turns 40. As with so many us in the UK, she was hoping to celebrate her birthday with a trip away but has had to change her plans. Instead, she’ll be spending time at home in her London home with her family – film director Andrew Levitas and their two children, Aaliyah, four and Xander, two – and the Neath-born classical singer couldn’t be happier. Even the looming big 4-0 cannot dim her mood.
“I’m not scared about turning 40 – I’m not having the freak-out,” she says. “If I’d been asked where I wanted to be when I was 40, I would never have imagined I’d be in this situation. I get to sing as my job, I’ve got kids and a husband that I’m obsessed with. I love being a mum. Asking for anything else would be a bit greedy. I’m very happy to have a day with them and hopefully a slice of vegan birthday cake and a glass of Champagne.”
She credits lockdown with giving her “a bit of clarity to look at what and who is important and how we really want to live”.
Besides family time, a key commitment in the past few months has been keeping the nation entertained with her lockdown concerts from her home, which have pulled in over half a million viewers at a time. The inspiration for these came from her mum.
“When the over-70s were asked to isolate, my mum had just slipped into the over-70s bracket and I kept thinking about people like her who were on their own,” she says. “Potentially she was scared and I couldn’t have that, so I said to Andrew that I wanted to do a concert for people like her. Then I made a promise to everyone that I would do these concerts every Saturday night to keep people company.”
When she made the decision, she did not anticipate that four months later she would still be doing the concerts – but she loves it, and finds it has positive effects on her own life.
“It’s become a family affair: my husband acts as the sound man, my daughter is rent-a-crowd, and my son is trying to get my attention throughout the performance,” she says.
She adds that her life is a lot more ordinary than her classy attire might suggest.
“At 6pm I’m there in a gown but five minutes earlier I’m rushing around trying to get the kids to finish their dinner and get ready.”
She has been stunned by the number of people who watch – and delighted by the numbers that watch from Wales; she estimates that a third of the messages that come in on email and social media are from her home country.
“I love that – and I love that ultimately this has have given me an excuse to get out of my pyjamas and do a concert – and then I’m all dressed and ready for a date night with Andrew when the kids are in bed.”
Extra time with Andrew has been one of the pleasures of lockdown. With two such high profile careers, the couple have a lot of commitments to juggle, but lockdown has brought them together under one roof for possibly the longest period in their marriage. The children have loved it too.
“They are thriving having Mummy and Daddy around all the time,” she says. “You do feel you miss things when you’ve got to work, so I’ve really enjoyed being with them 24/7 and coping with a bit of schooling. It’s been intense and I’ve got massive respect for all the teachers out there.”
She admits that when lockdown started, she had mistakenly thought she would have a lot of time to catch up on reading books, sorting photograph albums and other homely tasks – but with her various commitments, that has not been the case.
Her big 2020 started before lockdown, with the February release of Minamata, a film directed by her husband Andrew. Katherine starred in it as a journalist, appearing alongside Jonny Depp and Bill Nighy. The film, based on the book by Minamata by Aileen Mioko Smith and Eugene Smith, tells the story of photographer W Eugene Smith, who documented the devastating effects of mercury poisoning in Japan’s coastal communities. While Katherine admits to being intimidated by having to act along Depp and Nighy, she says that she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“The message is a really important one about corporate greed, environmental issues, freedom of the press and standing up for the little person,” she adds.
Would she consider making more movies? “Making a film is a different kind of process from music but as long as it’s about something I feel passionate about it would be worth doing – but singing is always going to be number one.”
As for working with her husband, she says she loved seeing Andrew on set every day.
“To see how good he is at his job is amazing – but I told him: these are the only days you are allowed to boss me around!”
The next big date in her calendar is the July 3 release of her new album, Cinema Paradiso, a journey through a collection of classic songs from the movies. While it was recorded in December, she’s struck by how well it suits the current mood.
“When I recorded it, I never thought I would be releasing it at a time when we were all turning to movies and films for comfort, escapism and to entertain us,” she says. “It fits with the sense of nostalgia people
have been experiencing. It’s very uplifting and positive and it feels right for the current climate.”
In a broader sense, turning 40 also prompts some feelings of nostalgia and reflection: Jenkins says that her biggest regret is that her father has not been around to see her life and career develop.
“He didn’t get to see any of this he was my biggest supporter,” she says. “I got a record deal at 23 and he died when I was 15 – and I wish he could be around to see the kids.”
Her family life is clearly her cornerstone. She got together with Andrew after being set up with him by their hairdresser in LA. They first met up after she had played a concert with Andrea Bocelli but didn’t start dating properly for another year.
“It took a long time to finally go out on a date because we were living in different countries, but eventually it hit me he was the one,” she says.
A wedding and two children later, she describes herself as a very handson parent who is strict, but also very affectionate.
“We are playful with them, we love to have dance nights – we might decide to listen to an era of music, like disco or reggae and all dance and be silly. I absolutely adore being a parent and Andrew is on my wavelength in terms of how we want to do it so there is never any conflict – we love it.”
Lockdown has only served to emphasise this point, and when we finished our chat she will segue straight into home-schooling mode.
As for lessons she has learned herself in her first 40 years on the planet, she says: “The greatest lesson is that you get out of life what you put into it. I truly believe that. One of my sayings is that it’s never crowded on the extra mile – and if you see what carers and frontline workers have been doing, it’s clear that going that extra mile means so much. If you put kindness in, you get kindness out – it’s about thinking about what you put out into the world.”
This is reflected in the fact that some of her proudest moments have been going out to entertain the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Other highlights of her life so far include singing at the Wales home rugby games and at the Olympics.
“On each I occasion I felt incredibly humble to be asked to do them,” she says.
How, I wonder, is the 40-year-old Katherine Jenkins different from the 20-year-old?
“I’m a lot more settled and secure in who I am and my choices – becoming a parent has chilled me out and given me more patience and understanding. I think having a family has made me the best version of myself. I’m happy to be approaching 40 because at 20 there are bits that are unknown – and right now it’s a good time.”
Looking forward to the rest of 2020 and beyond, she’s keen to get back to Wales and see her family, and to travel to New York to see Andrew’s relatives. She’s also looking forward to a point when she can perform live again.
“Concerts aren’t going to happen this year – it’s a matter of waiting for a time when audiences feel comfortable and safe: you want people to feel happy going to a concert. But I’ve got a tour in January and February next year that I’m looking forward to.”
In the meantime, she’s going to stay busy online – and in a week or so we’ll probably all be humming her versions of classic movie tunes.
If I’d been asked where I wanted to be when I was 40, I would never have imagined I’d be in this situation. I get to sing as my job, I’ve got kids and a husband that I’m obsessed with. I love being a mum. Asking for anything else would be a bit greedy. I’m very happy to have a day with them and hopefully a slice of vegan birthday cake and a glass of Champagne
KATHERINE JENKINS