Katherine Jenkins

在2006年的“不列顛古典音樂獎”里面，入圍“年度最佳專輯”的作品，有兩張不約而同的都在標題上使用了“夢想”這個字，除了少年歌手約瑟夫麥可曼納斯的“In Dreams”之外，還有女中音歌手凱瑟琳詹金斯（Katherine Jenkins）的第三張專輯“Living a Dream”，最后，由后者脫穎而出。事實上，這已經不是Katherine Jenkins頭一次奪得這項榮耀。2005年四月，她的第二張專輯“Second Nature”也同樣是這項大獎的得主。不過短短三年之前，她還是個無名小卒，甚至在2004與2005兩年前往美國巡回的時候，還得替海莉（Hayley Westenra）和剛脫離“愛爾蘭男高音”（Irish Tenors）獨立的羅南泰南（Ronan Tynan）擔任助陣的暖場歌手，可是，盡管如此，她卻已經締造了一項空前的紀錄：2003年，環球唱片跟當時二十三歲的她簽下一紙六張專輯的合約，未曾公開確實金額的七位數簽約金，使得她成了英國唱片史上身價最高的藝人，而她的專輯開始推出之后，也以銷售成績證明了她確實是值得的。她是自從瑪麗亞卡拉絲（Maria Callas）以來，英國最暢銷的古典藝人。 Katherine Jenkins （凱瑟琳·詹金斯）是現時英國專輯銷量最好的女歌劇歌手。出生于英國南威爾士(South Wales)利夫(Neath)的Katherine從七歲起便學習音樂，最初學習彈奏鋼琴和參加學校的歌詠團，她的聲樂和鋼琴都達致八級的水平。其間參加了多次本土的音樂比賽，獲獎是家常便飯。其天份大受唱片公司的注意，甫出校門，唱片公司便和她簽訂連出六張唱片的合約。她也沒有令公司失望，2004年4月，她的首張專輯《Premiere》在古典排行榜上高踞榜首達8周之久，一時無兩，氣勢如虹。在2004年10月，Katherine Jenkins迅速推出了第二張專輯《Second Nature》。出道至今她已推出《Premiere》、《Second Nature》及《Living a Dream》等幾張極為暢銷的專輯，并令她榮登古典音樂史上唱片銷售速度最快的藝人；她除了于Live 8演唱會登臺獻技之外，更加連續兩年勇奪Classic Brits (英國古典音樂頒獎禮) 最佳唱片殊榮。 　　今年26歲的威爾斯歌唱家Katherine Jenkins （凱瑟琳·詹金斯）以卓越的歌藝才華及青春甜美的魅力震驚樂壇，成為歌劇界觸目新星，其獨特個人風格及追求完美的精神不但與萬寶龍的品牌價值同出一轍，更與品牌女裝產品的青春時尚氣質完美配合，成為代表萬寶龍女裝腕表、皮具、高級首飾及書寫工具的最佳代言人。 While still in her mid-twenties, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins emerged as Britain's all-time best-selling classical artist, although critics charged her success was more a result of physical beauty than musical talent. Born June 29, 1980, in Neath, West Glamorgan, Wales, Jenkins fell under the sway of classical music at age seven, studying piano and singing in her local choir throughout childhood. In 1990, she joined the Royal School of Church Music Cathedral Singers and also served with the National Youth Choir of Wales. At 17 Jenkins was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Music, tackling a series of operatic roles while studying Italian, German, French, and Russian. She continued pursuing opera as a post-graduate while moonlighting as a vocal instructor, but upon winning the Face of Wales modeling contest she instead supplemented her income as a fashion model. In 2003 Universal Classics signed Jenkins to a six-album, seven-figure recording contract, reputedly the largest classical deal in U.K. music industry history. While at work on her debut LP, she performed at Westminster Cathedral in honor of Pope John Paul II and also made her inaugural appearance at the famed Sydney Opera House. Issued in the spring of 2004, Jenkins' debut, Premiere, immediately topped the classical music charts, and its success inspired a quickie follow-up, Second Nature. Together the albums vaulted the singer to a level of commercial success previously unknown in classical music circles, and she further exploited her growing mainstream popularity by recording a classical rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" for 2005's Living a Dream.