Katherine Jenkins is in a celebratory mood as she heads to Southampton

SONG BIRD Katherine Jenkins is in a celebratory mood as she heads to Southampton Mayflower Theatre with her latest concert tour on Sunday (December 4).

She has recently landed her 12th No1 album in 12 years and cannot wait to take her new patriotic tour out on the road. What's more she is bursting with joy at being a first-time mum to baby daughter Aaliyah.

When I spoke to her recently she was 'on a high' but somewhat tired after a bizarre performance in a plane over Russia!

It's true to say that Katherine's feet have hardly had time to touch the ground this year!

Together with dancers from the internationally renowned Bolshoi Ballet the classical superstar staged the world’s first ballet and musical performance in the air, to celebrate the launch of British Airways’ Dreamliner flights from London Heathrow to Moscow.

And quite appropriately, the Welsh Mezzo soprano gave a spine-tingling rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

She said it was: “Such fun to be invited to perform for the first time at 41,000 feet ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow' en route to Moscow on board BA's new Dreamliner! I have always been excited to sing in Russia due to its deep and rich history in the arts, and performing alongside dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet was a very special experience for me.”

She told me: "I'm a bit tired after flying to Russia and back in one day ! It's taken its toll. I'm quite exhausted! I cleared customs, had a cup of tea and Facetimed my husband and daughter then got back on the plane!

We did the performance three times- in First Class, Business and Economy, so everyone got to see it. It was really, really fun. It was funny because no one expected it at all. "

Katherine, 36, will be showcasing her her new album ‘Celebration’ at the Mayflower which is bursting with patriotic spirit. It pays tribute to The Queen on her 90th birthday, with such songs as ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’, which was the most popular song in the year the Queen was born. There is also a full rendition of the national anthem in its rarely-heard, three-verse form.

"The album was released around the time of the Queen's birthday but also the Olympics - and Wales doing better than ever before in the European championships - lots of different events. It's all about the music of celebration and the concerts will be that kind of music," said Katherine.

The stunning performer who was awarded the OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to music and for charitable services, performed, by request, at the Queen’s birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle in May and staged her own celebratory concert at the Royal Albert Hall in June.

The Celebrations album is her first since giving birth to daughter Aaliyah in September 2015 and it opens with the poignant song ‘This Mother’s Heart’. Katherine commissioned this new song as a gift to the Queen.

"I thought of her as she is the Mother to the Nation, the Common Wealth and she is a great grand mother too, and obviously for me personally it has special meaning as it is for my daughter too. It celebrates everything that is great about the UK and the Common Wealth and what makes you feel proud.

"The show will be a mix of the Celebration album - so everything is celebratory and uplifting, and also Christmas music. I hope we will get everyone in the Christmas spirit and leave feeling relaxed."

Recording this album- particularly 'This Mother's Heart', had been particularly emotional for the new mum.

"Aaliyah was about four months old when I made the record and I took her into the recording studio with me and she was there whilst I was singing. Every time I got to the end of the verse I would burst into tears - it really gets to me. I'm more emotional now I'm a mum than I use to be. I thought becoming a parent would be emotional- we both always wanted children ; we both come from a large family so it's important to us. Even though I knew it would be amazing you never know how it will be. When you don't have children people are very quick to point out the negatives and say that will be the end of your social life etc but I think it's the best thing I ever did."

So how is she coping with combining her international career with being a mum?

"It's definitely a balancing act being a working mum. It takes a lot of planning but because my husband and I both work in the arts we can make sure one of us is always with her and that's very important to us. We spend a lot of quality time with her."

Even now she has to pinch herself at her success and doesn't take anything for granted.

"In terms of album sales I don't know what is the biggest success but I know this [Celebration] is my 12th No1 album in 12 years and that there's never been anyone do that before. That really took me by surprise . It's a lovely thing to be grateful for. I can't believe I've made 12 albums!"

This amazing jet-set lifestyle and meteoric success as the world’s most prolific classical crossover artist, must seem a million miles removed from her original career as a teacher, I remark, and she must look back and think was that really me. She agrees:

"Honestly I have that thought a lot. In some ways so much has happened since then but I feel like the same person. I would like to go back in some ways . I really enjoyed that time and I hope in the future I will have time to do that again. "

Meanwhile Katherine and her husband Andrew Levitas, who is an artist, film producer and director, as well as a New York University professor ( the couple tied the knot at London's Hampton Court Palace in September 2014 after a whirlwind seven month romance) are producing a new children's animated TV show called Symphony Street aimed at four to eight-year-olds.

One of the characters will be voiced by the Neath-born singer, who said daughter Aaliyah had inspired the project.

The series will follow a group of musical friends, and will feature music from a variety of genres.

"It's something we created whilst I was pregnant. Music is a positive force in my life and we thought how can we make her feel positive about music like we are. Music is the international language: it doesn't see colour, race, class or creed, and the lessons learned through it are easily translated into everyday life.

"It was with this in mind, that my husband and I set out to create a fun and exciting musical platform to teach our own young daughter."

There are exciting plans afoot after the tour although they are under wraps for now:

"We are going to Japan for New Year's Eve and big things are happening next year which I'm very excited about but I can't say any more just yet - sorry! "