This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
Katherine Jenkins announces movie songs album and 2021 tour dates
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 26 February 2020
Celebrating the recent premiere of her debut movie ‘Minamata’ – which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last week – Katherine Jenkins has announced that her fourteenth studio album will be a collection of classic movie song covers. Set for release in April, ‘Cinema Paradiso’ sees Jenkins performing tracks from films including ‘Dances With Wolves’, ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ and ‘Schindler’s List’.
“I’ve always loved movie soundtracks”, says Jenkins. “I wanted to create an iconic movie moment with this record: all the best film musical themes that we know and love, all together on one album. The last few albums I’ve made have been inspired by what’s happening in my own world. This one in particular was inspired by the things that were going on around me. Having played my first movie role last year, it felt like a natural transition for me”.
The album includes a recording of ‘I’ll Never Love Again’ from the 2018 version of ‘A Star Is Born’, which serves as the first single. “The hope with this album is that each song conjures up an iconic image from cinema”, she says. “‘A Star is Born’ is quite a recent film, but the scene where Lady Gaga sings ‘I’ll Never Love Again’ is so touching and memorable that it felt completely right to include it as one of my favourite movie musical moments”.
Jenkins was recently heard performing the song on ITV show ‘The Masked Singer’. Jenkins explains: “In a bid to disguise my voice on ‘The Masked Singer’, I chose songs that weren’t the norm for me: and so this track is a happy experiment for me and after [‘Masked Singer’ panellist] Ken [Jeong] said it was the performance of the season, I felt it deserved a place on the album!”
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Jenkins who – as well as announcing the new album and being unmasked on ‘The Masked Singer’ – also had the premiere of that aforementioned film. Based on the book of the same name, ‘Minamata’ is the second movie directed by Jenkins’ husband Andrew Levitas. It tells the true story of a journey by war photographer W Eugene Smith to document the effects of mercury poisoning in a Japanese fishing village.
Starring Johnny Depp and Bill Nighy, it received mixed reviews from critics at the Berlin Film Festival. “For a film about photography”, says the Telegraph’s Tim Robey, “it often has bizarrely wrong-headed notions of where the camera ought to be”. But The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it “a forthright, heartfelt movie, an old-fashioned ‘issue picture’ with a worthwhile story to tell”. Anyway, here’s a clip, in which you can see Jenkins playing the role of Millie.
As well as appearing in the film, Jenkins also co-wrote and performed its title track with Skylar Grey, and appears on the film’s score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It’s is set for release later this year, while the ‘Cinema Paradiso’ album is out on 17 Apr through Decca.
That’s not all though. Jenkins has also announced tour dates in January and February next year. Tickets go on general sale on Friday. Here are all the dates:
24 Jan: Southampton, Guildhall
25 Jan: Guildford, G Live
27 Jan: Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
28 Jan: Bath, Forum
30 Jan: Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
31 Jan: London, Adelphi Theatre
2 Feb: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
4 Feb: Gateshead, Sage
5 Feb: York, Barbican
6 Feb: Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
8 Feb: Birmingham, Symphony Hall
9 Feb: Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
11 Feb: Llandudno, Venue Cymru Theatre
12 Feb: Cardiff, St David’s Hall
