Katherine Jenkins speaks to Simon Mayo about the NHS Charities Together single 'We'll Meet Again'
Last updated 14th Mar 2021
Katherine Jenkins called into Simon Mayo’s Scala Radio show this morning to chat about her new charity single We’ll Meet Again.
The duet with Dame Vera Lynn is being released to raise money for NHS charities amid the Coronavirus crisis, and Katherine spoke to Simon about the single and the live concerts that she’s been performing from her own home.
“I decided that I would try and keep everybody company in the way that I know how to, and I decided to do a Facebook live concert on Saturday at 6 o’clock," explained Katherine to Simon earlier on today.
"We put a post up the day before and my husband said, ‘Oh I don’t really know how many people will watch it to be honest, as there’s only 600 acceptances to the invitation. I thought, I’m fine, I’m really happy to sing for 600 people… some people might be home alone, it’s about bringing everybody together…
“The last concert, half a million people watched. People have been sending in photos of how dressed up they’ve got. Getting out of pyjamas, having a reason to get dressed up on a Saturday night, bringing a drink. Maybe watching it virtually with a friend somewhere else and asking me to shout out for a special occasion or somebody they’re missing. It has a really nice community feel and we’re on the fifth one this Saturday so it’s something that started off really small and gathered a pace.
“It's nice for me to have a bit of focus as well. Nice for me to be able to work towards doing something, because I’m in massive awe of everything that all the key workers are doing and I’ll never be able to help in that way. But this is just something small that I hope will be able to help in a little way.’
Presenting, singing and taking charge of all of the tech too
"It’s fun… I’m trying to do all the technological stuff as well so I’m trying to do the sound, play the backing track and getting myself ready so it doesn’t always go to plan. But I’m trying my best!
“I was thinking about maybe you know my older part of the audience like my mum isolating alone and it was also doing it a 6 o’clock where you could bring in children to it as well. Because I think, if we are home schooling, which I am at the moment, you are looking for different ways to bring in music and the arts.”
On her new charity single with Dame Vera Lynn
"When I watched Her Majesty, shortly after that there were some calls on social media - you know Piers Morgan wrote an article that somebody should be releasing this for charity.
"Dame Vera and I, we did this duet a little while ago. Dame Vera invited me to do it with her on her album. We just thought that the words are so appropriate to now and the song definitely harks back to that World War II era. But when you listen to the words, we’re all desperate to see our loved ones again and it just felt like the right thing to do.”
Listen to We'll Meet Again with Katherine Jenkins and Dame Vera Lynn via Apple Music