Could Katherine Jenkins successfully coach six hopeless singers?

There are those fortunate few like Katherine Jenkins who are born with the most beautiful voice, a talent that can be nurtured and enjoyed by people all over the world. But most of us mere mortals sound like strangled cats when we belt out a tune in the shower, and so spend our lives denying ourselves the pleasure of singing.

Yet Katherine, who was a vocal coach before she signed the record-breaking £1 million deal that set her on the path to stardom, insists anyone can be taught to sing – even those who’ve been told their voices could curdle milk. Now, in a new Sky Arts series, she’s putting her reputation on the line to prove her point.

‘I’ve always said anyone can sing,’ she says. ‘Obviously people sing at different levels of ability, but the main part of singing is enjoying it and feeling part of a community. 

‘I’ve always wanted to go back to teaching, I got so much out of it. Mentoring young people was a real treat and this feels like a similar experience.’

Singing has always been more than a job for Katherine. ‘I can’t remember a time without it,’ she says. 

‘I can’t imagine my life without it. I get up every morning and warm up my voice to check it’s still there. After I’ve dealt with the children, it’s the first thing I do every day.’

The Welsh mezzo-soprano’s musical talent was encouraged by her father Selwyn, who would take her to lessons. When he died of lung cancer when she was just 15, she was driven to succeed for him. 

Even today, she dedicates every performance to him. Throughout the pandemic she hosted Facebook shows from her home for hundreds of thousands of fans around the world, with her film producer husband Andrew Levitas behind the camera and their children Aaliyah, six, and Xander, three, making frequent scene-stealing appearances.

But little did her audience know she was coping with her own grief after the death of her brother-in-law Gavin Johnson. 

Her little sister Laura’s husband died in May 2020, the same month Katherine lifted the nation when performing songs on VE Day from the Royal Albert Hall and Buckingham Palace. The family have not revealed the cause of death.

Katherine was not even allowed to see Laura to comfort her and the two little boys who’d lost their father. ‘I lost my brother-in-law in the pandemic and I felt we were all in this situation together,’ Katherine said later. 

‘We’re all going through the same thing. Laura doesn’t want me to say too much, but children are very resilient and the boys are doing really well.’

The difficulties of the last few years were another reason why she was keen to take part in this new four-part series, called Anyone Can Sing, which gives six members of the public masterclasses in everything from vocal technique to stage presence in the hope of giving them enough confidence to perform at the London Coliseum in front of 2,500 people in just three months.

‘The show ties in with everything we’ve all lived through and had taken away during the pandemic,’ says Katherine. 

‘We all realise now how much we took for granted before, and it’s great to see people enjoying live entertainment again and throwing themselves into it. After a period when we couldn’t sing together, this is such a positive, feel-good programme.

‘All our wonderful contestants found that singing helped their confidence. Learning to sing is about making a lovely sound, but it’s also about posture, how you stand and how you exude confidence, even if you’re not feeling it. All these things can help you in your everyday life too.’

The six participants – whittled down from ten in the first episode – all had particular reasons for wanting to learn to sing. Luke, 30, the owner of a marketing agency, found the physical tics from his Tourette’s syndrome disappear when he sings. 

The Reverend Ellen, 59, one of the UK’s first female priests and the Dean of King’s College London, was determined to join a hymn service but has been afraid to sing after being told she had a ‘weedy and tentative’ voice. 

How singing tames Luke’s Tourette’s

Katherine admits that she had a soft spot for Luke who has Tourette’s syndrome

Katherine says the participant she was most taken with was Luke, who’s suffered seizures from swelling on the brain, leading him to develop a stammer and Tourette’s syndrome four years ago. But all his vocal and physical tics disappear when he sings.

‘I was so impressed with Luke,’ she says. ‘I had such a soft spot for him. The challenges he faced were huge, and he did such a great job. 

‘It’s very interesting that his tics stop when he’s singing – that shows music is having a very positive influence on him, as it does on all of us.’

There was also 40-year-old London electrician Rico, who wanted to try something new and give himself a challenge; Chris, 47, a London transport manager who plays guitar but didn’t have the confidence to sing along; civil servant Khadijah, 26, a former actress from Wrexham who wanted to go back to doing something creative; and Shirley, 66, a west London concierge whose confidence had been shattered by illness.

Three professional opera singers and teachers – Nicky Spence, Sarah Pring and Michael Harper – spent 12 weeks getting the six ready for the performance of their lives, with Katherine helping them prepare. 

Their first challenge was to perform in front of an audience of family and friends, and then they had to sing in front of a crowd of 60,000 attending an American Football match at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium.

‘I’ve performed at a lot of different sporting events, and American Football matches are especially high-octane,’ says Katherine. ‘You have players warming up, cheerleaders, mascots and pyrotechnics. 

‘You feel like an ant in this enormous gladiatorial arena. For me, it was about helping the singers feel confident that they were great human beings. I told them, “When you sing, they’re all going to love you!” And they smashed it.’

For the final episode, the six took on the most daunting experience of all, singing with professionals at the London Coliseum in an English National Opera performance of HMS Pinafore in front of 2,500 people. 

Nicky Spence says it’s an experience even a pro would fear. ‘The plan was to have them singing solos and together,’ he says. 

‘It was a huge challenge to get them ready. Normally you’d work up to something like that over a few years – we had 12 weeks. It was terrifying for everyone, particularly as these were people who’d spent their lives being told, “Please don’t sing!”’

So how did they do it? ‘It’s about matching the pitch correctly, feeling where it is in the body,’ Nicky explains. 

Nicky Spence, Sarah Pring and Michael Harper spent 12 weeks getting the six members of the public ready. Pictured: mentor Sarah Pring between contestants Khadijah and Rico

‘The voice box is an organ about the size of your thumbnail, it just needs to be trained. So we’d start with a note, listen to what came out and then try to hone it, taking it closer and closer to where it’s meant to be. Then we moved on to the next note.’

He says that improving the voice was only part of the job. ‘The three of us teachers saw ourselves as the “vocal avengers”, because singing differently isn’t just about your voice, it can change you. 

‘For many of the participants, there was a psychological gremlin I had to help them fight to reintroduce them to the joy of singing – it felt a bit like being a therapist. Singing is one of the most visceral experiences, and opera is the biggest challenge of all. 

‘We told them, “If you can do this, you can do anything”, and I found their bravery really moving.

‘What I didn’t expect was that by helping them with their voices, we would give them a voice for every part of their lives. We may not have uncovered the next Maria Callas or Pavarotti, but they found a voice for themselves which was incredible.’

Katherine says viewers will be happily surprised by the results. ‘They all did brilliantly,’ she says. 

‘I think they’ll all go on to find a way for music to be in their lives, and we’ve shown music is for everybody. It lifts us up and helps us release emotions. Whatever we’re going through, music is such an incredible therapy.’  

Anyone Can Sing starts on 30 March on Sky Arts and NOW.