Dream
come true - Part One
Gareth
Bicknell Daily Post
NEW
Welsh diva Katherine Jenkins talks to Gareth Bicknell
about her new tour
ON
a rare day off, Katherine Jenkins is enjoying a bit
of "me time" after a hectic year which has
seen the stunning mezzo soprano take the singing world
by storm.
"I'm
at home, catching up on sleep, getting the house together
and preparing to leave again," she says, but there
is no hint of fatigue in her voice, despite the fact
she has just recorded her debut album Premiere after
touring the Far East and Australia, and is about to
hit the road with rising star, Hayley Westenra.
In
fact, she is as cheerful in voice as she is beautiful
in the flesh, the phone line crackling with her enthusiasm
and joie de vivre, as she talks about her favourite
artists, her recent appearance in Channel Four's The
Salon and the possibility of victory over England for
her beloved Welsh rugby team.
"The
English are very difficult to beat right now, but the
Irish proved it can be done and no-one should ever underestimate
the boys in red," says the girl-next-door from
Neath, her accent lilting gently.
Katherine,
23, achieved a dream when she sang Bread of Heaven in
front of 72,000 fans at a packed Millennium Stadium
before Wales warmed up for last year's World Cup with
a "friendly" against England. She travelled
with squad as the team's official mascot, performing
in the Far East en route to an appearance at the Sydney
Opera House - which she describes as an "amazing"
experience.
The
former model, who famously shattered a chandelier as
she reached the high note in O Holy Night, is set to
be the darling of the classical and opera world when
her new album is released on April 19, but as she takes
advantage of the all-too-uncommon chance for a bit of
relaxation and recuperation, she admits is more likely
to be listening to Christina Aguilera than to preview
CDs of her debut record.
"I
really love what Christina Aguilera's doing. I really
respect her, as well as people like Mariah Carey, Whitney
Houston, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.
"I
listen to any type of music to relax," she says.
"I do love classical music, but to listen to myself
when I've been working all day, that would be weird.
I'm very critical of myself, so it wouldn't be relaxing
at all."
Part
Two >
View
Source
