Monday, 15 March, 2010
Katherine Jenkins is redefining Classical Crossover, and is pioneering a new genre of Opera superstar. She is not only glamorous, but also very down to earth, and accessible and caring as a human being. She is light years away from the stereotypical opera singer- histrionic, frumpy, overweight and somewhat aloof.
Her first album, appropriately titled ‘Premiere’ was the fastest selling album of all time by a Mezzo Soprano selling well over 30,000 copies in the first week.
Her appeal is such that she has already outsold such opera greats as Maria Callas.
She is the only singer in musical history to simultaneously hold the number 1,2 and 3 position in the classical charts which she did with her 3 albums ‘Premiere’, ‘Second Nature’, and ‘Living the Dream’ in 2005.
Living The Dream also got to Number four in the Pop Album Charts, whilst staying at number one in the Classical Chart (It still is number one!!!) for an amazing 47 weeks.
Katherine in part seems to emulate both Marilyn and Madonna. She likes the look of innocent starlet and the mind that is business savvy. “ I do not understand where the idea came from that opera is only for privileged people, I am as happy singing before 70,000 people at the Millennium Stadium, as I am in front of a few hundred in a small concert hall”