'Wales is where it all started for us'.

Byline: By Gavin Allen  South Wales Echo 

'we are very much looking forward to coming back to Wales because it's really where it all started for us,' said OperaBabe Karen England with a faraway sigh in her voice.

The story of the OperaBabes' inception goes like this.

In the spring of 2001, while England and musical partner Rebecca Knight were busking in Covent Garden, they were spotted by a talent scout and within weeks they were performing before millions at the Millennium Stadium at the FA Cup final.

'It was the first thing we did as OperaBabes and coming back feels like coming full circle,' said England, enjoying the reminiscence.

'I can't put into words how amazing it felt that day to walk out at the Millennium Stadium at the FA Cup final, to know that at that moment you are going out to millions of people around the world.

'It was all so exciting when it started.'

Things have not always been as exciting since.

'You don't go through the music industry for five years without leaning a lot,' she groaned.

The duo have been battered by peers in the established opera and classical worlds for what they perceive as 'dumbing down' of their artform.

'There are always going to be purists out there who don't like what you do but this isn't something we tried to do, it just happened to us.

'So because we weren't manufactured, because we are legitimate, we enjoy it and the people who come to see us enjoy it too.'

Indeed the public took to them in droves with their debut album Beyond Imagination going straight in at number one in the UK classical charts and shifting 500,000 copies.

But their second album, Renaissance, will be released into a market far more saturated with Katherine Jenkins the latest classical babe on the block.

'It's kind of bizarre because when we started doing it Charlotte Church and Russell Watson were the only others but now there seems to be so many,' said England wearily.

'But I don't think we will suddenly change and go all pop like Charlotte has.

'She has done fantastically well making that transition.

'She started out when she was 11, she did the classical, a little bit of opera and mostly the religious stuff and when she got to 16 she just wanted to do something more poppy.

'But for us it has never been about being famous.

'We try not to be pigeon-holed, we try to do different things, things that are pretty unique.

'We love the fact that we are equally at home singing in front of a football crowd, as performing a Mozart opera or doing something in Las Vegas as we did recently.'

'We love what we do and I think our fans love what we do so if some stuffy types don't then who cares?'

The OperaBabes perform at St David's Hall on February 25. Tickets cost pounds 16 to pounds 18 and are available on 029 2087 8444.