Katherine Jenkins
NEATH-BORN Katherine Jenkins OBE has become one of the most successful classical crossover singers of her generation, building an international career from a musical upbringing rooted firmly in Wales.
Her repertoire has always crossed boundaries — opera, hymns, traditional Welsh songs, film music, musical theatre and popular standards — and that breadth has helped her reach audiences far beyond the conventional classical world. The extraordinary scale of her success, includes 13 classical number-one albums and major recording deals with Universal and Warner.
Born in 1980, Jenkins sang in the choir at St David’s Church, joined the National Youth Choir of Wales and twice won the BBC Radio 2 Welsh Choirgirl of the Year competition. At 17, she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with honours before working briefly as a voice coach, London Eye tour guide and model.
Her breakthrough came in the early 2000s.
After signing a major six-album deal with Universal Classics & Jazz, Jenkins released Première in 2004. The album became the fastest-selling classical debut by a UK artist and established the musical identity that would define much of her career — combining arias and sacred music with accessible crossover material and distinctly Welsh choices such as Ar Lan y Môr, Cymru Fach and Cwm Rhondda.
Further albums including Second Nature, Living a Dream, Serenade, Rejoice and Sacred Arias followed in rapid succession, turning Jenkins into one of the most commercially successful classical performers in Britain.
Her career also became increasingly international.
Jenkins has performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Dubai Opera House and Mariinsky Theatre, and has shared stages and recordings with artists including Andrea Bocelli, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Bryn Terfel, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Il Divo.
In 2008 she signed a landmark recording deal with Warner Music, reported at the time as the largest classical recording contract in history. Her 2009 album Believe, produced by David Foster, pushed further into mainstream crossover territory and included collaborations with Andrea Bocelli.
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More than a recording artist
Jenkins has repeatedly stepped outside the traditional concert world.
She appeared in the Doctor Who Christmas special A Christmas Carol, finished runner-up on the US television show Dancing with the Stars in 2012, and later made her West End debut as Julie Jordan in Carousel with English National Opera.
She also made her film debut in Minamata, alongside Johnny Depp and Bill Nighy.
Her charitable work has been another major part of her public life.
Jenkins has long been associated with support for the Armed Forces, travelling to entertain troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas postings. She has also supported Macmillan Cancer Support and ran the London Marathon in 2013 in memory of her father, Selwyn, who died when she was 15.
That personal loss has remained an important influence throughout her life, and she has frequently spoken about dedicating albums and achievements to her father.
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Record-breaking success
Jenkins’ commercial achievements remain remarkable for a classical artist.
In 2017, Classic FM named her the best-selling classical artist of the previous 25 years in the UK. The following year she released Guiding Light, which eventually gave her a 13th classical number-one album — making her the first classical artist to achieve that total.
Her 2020 album Cinema Paradiso explored film music, including themes associated with Gladiator, Schindler’s List, The Greatest Showman and A Star Is Born, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Jenkins was asked by the BBC to record the first performance of God Save the King for King Charles III — another example of the way her voice has become associated with major national occasions.
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A strong Welsh identity
For all the international success, Wales has never been far from Jenkins’ public identity.
She first became widely familiar to many Welsh audiences through performances of the national anthem before major rugby internationals, and Welsh songs have remained an important part of her repertoire throughout her career. She has always placed importance on her Neath upbringing and Welsh roots, a connection that remains visible more than two decades after her breakthrough.
In October 2026, Jenkins returned to Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff as part of her 25 Year Anniversary Tour, celebrating a quarter of a century in which she progressed from Welsh choirgirl to one of the most recognisable classical crossover performers in the world. The UK and Ireland tour also included Manchester, Liverpool, London, Birmingham, Llandudno, Dublin and Belfast.
She remains an active recording and touring artist, with a catalogue that stretches from her 2004 debut Première through to Cinema Paradiso and later Christmas releases.
Katherine Jenkins – selected studio albums
Première (2004)
Second Nature (2004)
Living a Dream (2005)
Serenade (2006)
Rejoice (2007)
Sacred Arias (2008)
Believe (2009)
Daydream (2011)
This Is Christmas (2012)
Home Sweet Home (2014)
Celebration (2016)
Guiding Light (2018)
Cinema Paradiso (2020)
Did Ewe Know?
Katherine Jenkins’ debut album Première did not hide her Welsh roots. Alongside classical arias, it included Ar Lan y Môr, Cymru Fach and Cwm Rhondda — setting the pattern for a career in which Welsh music has remained part of her international repertoire.