Pop chart success for Jenkins

[kcuteus1]

Here is a article I found.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4412560.stm

Pop chart success for Jenkins

Jenkins has become the newest forces sweetheart
Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins has crashed into the pop album charts at No 4 with her latest classical album.
Jenkins, 25, from Neath, is already top of the classical charts with the album Living A Dream released last week.

The star, who is to entertain the troops in Iraq this Christmas, is the first classical artist to have achieved three number one consecutive albums.

Her agent said it was "fabulous and well-deserved news for Katherine".

Jenkins first album was Premiere in 2003, followed by the Brit-winning "Second Nature" in 2004, which was the best selling classical album last year.

Living a dream doesn't begin to describe this last year, it has been beyond my wildest dreams

Katherine Jenkins

Her third chart-topping album has sold 47,000 copies in a week and her agent Joe O'Neil said the star had now outsold classical artists like Maria Callas and Placido Domingo.

He paid tribute to the "talented and hard-working star" who - as team official mascot - sang who sang the national anthem before Wales' defeat by New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium before racing to Heathrow for a flight to Japan.

"In over 20 years of working with record companies and artists I have never known anyone so dedicated to making it happen," he said.

"She's had one day off in the last month and has three days free between now and Christmas".

Tsunami concert

At Christmas Jenkins, who has taken over the mantle of forces sweetheart from Dame Vera Lynn since her role in the VE celebrations this summer, is to sing for British soldiers in Basra, Iraq - as long as she receives MOD clearance - as well as Cyprus and Northern Ireland.

The former school teacher from Neath has also performed at the Tsunami Concert in the Millennium Stadium, the Live8 concert in Germany and Murrayfield, and is to sing for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance in Cardiff Bay later this month.

Jenkins, who signed copies of her album around Wales this week, including 17 copies bought as Christmas presents by one Swansea shopper, said she was "a very lucky lady".

She said: "Living a dream doesn't begin to describe this last year, it has been beyond my wildest dreams."

[nicola]

Hmm... she is a mezzo-soprano?

As for that person buying 17 copies... sounds naive... sounds like eBay.

[fusilier23]

Well, a richly deserved victory for Katherine, not only setting new classical records but beating out many dedicated pop entries into the charts, including Tissues and Issues, which hit at number 5 and tumbled away.

I've acquired the album myself, and it is superior in every way to all that's come before it from her, and superior to any other British classical album in the past several years.

I was also lucky enough to meet Katherine, and I can only say to her, you keep going, KJ, there is nothing to stop you.

[kcuteus1]

Steve I have her cd and I think it is great. I like it more than ODYSSEY. But ODYSSEY is still a very good cd.

[Dave]

We have a lot of detailed sales information this week - so here it is for Living A Dream and its competitors (courtesy of Music Week):

UK Album Chart - Top 6 sales figures, chart issued 6th November 2005:

1) 216,879 - Westlife (NEW)
2) 123,658 - Robbie Williams
3) 47,949 - Rod Stewart (NEW)
4) 47,493 - Katherine Jenkins (NEW)
5) 46,400 - Prodigy
6) 38,805 - Blink 182 (NEW)

Between Tuesday and Saturday, Prodigy and Blink 182 fell away, Rod and Katherine surged ahead. Katherine doesn't seem to have broken any records (assuming that Universal would have announced it by now) but it's still one of the best first week sales ever for a classical or classical crossover album.

Incidentally, the top 5 is all British and it is more than six months since any 'foreign' artist topped the album chart. Not a lot of people know that!

Dave

[gareth]

OK, according to icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/entertainment/newsandreviews/tm_objectid=16341519&method=full&siteid=50142&headline=katherine-takes-the-lead-with-soaraway-sales-for-new-album--name_page.html

is the fast selling UK Classical album of ALL TIME. Does that really include the 3 Tenors in 1990 and 1994?

[Dave]

gareth said:

OK, according to icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/entertainment/newsandreviews/tm_objectid=16341519&method=full&siteid=50142&headline=katherine-takes-the-lead-with-soaraway-sales-for-new-album--name_page.html

is the fast selling UK Classical album of ALL TIME. Does that really include the 3 Tenors in 1990 and 1994?

Hi Gerrit, as you know, i did some work on this last week but couldn't find any sales figures for the Three Tenors' two "biggies" that entered at no. 2. Here's what I said in another thread:

dave said:

Midweek Pop Charts update

Living a Dream has overtaken one of the albums ahead of it, is at no. 4 so far and it's now too close to call between the no. 3, 4 and 5 albums. Yep, you heard it right... Katherine could be no. 3 in next week's chart and will at worst be no. 5.

I cannot find any UK classical chart album to beat this, ever, except The Three Tenors who entered at no. 2 in 1990 and 1994. By Sunday, Katherine is likely to have the fastest selling "classical" (chart) album since The Three Tenors, sales should be well over 40K and may approach 50K.

It is possible The Three Tenors first week sales are also under threat - but I do not have the figures so we'll just have to wait and see what announcement Universal make next week - they will certainly make an announcement of some kind! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif
Dave

I still haven't seen a Press Release from Universal, only press reports... and we have to be careful as they are often ambiguous or maybe get subtle bits of information wrong to make their story grab your attention. They don't say Katherine beat The Three Tenors, but that she beat Pavarotti, and Domingo. No mention of Three Tenors or Carreras - so they *may be* referring to solo classical singers ("classical artist" is how they describe it)

Now, The Three Tenors released in late July and August - a traditionally quiet time of year for album sales - which were overall lower in the early 1990s than more recent years. They entered the chart at no. 2, twice, and the actual sales of all no. 2 albums in the UK in July and August 2005 were as follows:

03Jul - 101K
10Jul - 85K
17Jul - 50K
24Jul - 46K
31Jul - 43K
07Aug - 40K
14Aug - 47K
21Aug - 43K
28Aug - 53K.

So Katherine could have beaten the Three Tenors first week sales when they entered the chart at no. 2... or she may not have. With each press report, the odds that she has beaten it seem to be improving - but the ICWales press report is not clear about it, so we cannot be sure. It will be REALLY exciting, if she has done, but for the moment, we do not seem to have the confirmation we need.

Come on Universal - give us the facts... ALL of them!!! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Dave