She has sung the world’s most famous operas and hymns and creaky old national anthems.
But this Christmas, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins has given a classical spin to an unlikely viral song and learned some Korean in the process.
It was a breakout track from 2025s animated film contribution KPop Demon Hunters; “Golden” went on to be unfathomably streamed around the world, setting records left and right with its ascent across the charts.
Sung in the film by girl band HUNTR/X, Jenkins said she was struck by how an upbeat message made her think the song “could make a really beautiful aria.”” It’s just nature that we all concentrate on ourselves but life would be so much easier if we all gave it an inch more,” she told BBC Radio Wales’ Lucy Owen.
That movie, which Netflix says is its most-watched film of all time, followed K-pop stars Rumi, Mira and Zoey moonlighting as the not-so-secret guardians of the world.
By being full of catchy music and dance numbers, it proved hugely popular with young audiences, and Jenkins joked she won “brownie points” from her children aged seven and 10 “for at least trying it”.
This is “This Is What It Sounds Like”… a remake inspired by the very first video I ever posted from K-Pop Demon Hunters.
This is my way of saying thank you… to a new era.That first video is what allowed me to grow within this community, and this piece was created with so much… pic.twitter.com/wEMEt2CaI0
— ❀𝒫ℴ𝓁𝓎❀ (@HParadise07) December 14, 2025
Jenkins, Neath Port Talbot, will perform the song at the Royal Variety Show on Sunday where she is also going to sing the national anthem.
“It’s a little bit of an emotional one in the show,” she said.
“Take the lyrics and look at them from a place of empowerment, inspiration, it really resonates in that setting,” she said.
The buoyant power anthem is all about transcending adversity and finding strength and self.
“It’s just been a really beautiful song to try and interpret in the classical realm,” she said.
“The most difficult part is probably learning the bits in Korean,” she said. “I’d never sung in Korean before, so that was cool,” she said.
The recording includes children singing at the end, and Jenkins confessed the eldest daughter Aaliyah was on that track.
One day after school she went into the studio with her mother and sang the part with her.
“It landed on there, so she’s excited this morning too,” she said. “She is absolutely enjoying singing and anything we can do together like that is really nice.
The singer said: “Christmas is always a special time for me, my favourite time of the year having grown up with choral singing in Neath.
“It’s just our favorite time of year, so we’re super excited at home as always,” she said.
