She was born in a South African town and discovered opera from an ad on TV — now she's a rising international opera star. This is the story of Pretty Yende.
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CreativityTranscript
00:00♪♪
00:27I didn't know what it was.
00:28I had been singing in church.
00:30I knew I had a voice.
00:31I knew that if somebody could teach me, I could sing.
00:34But this was different.
00:36And I had a very happy childhood.
00:38I was a happy child and loved and, you know, I was touched by something more.
00:45And I didn't expect it and I didn't know what it was in my brain,
00:49but in my heart it sounded familiar.
00:52And so when I went to my high school teacher the following day to ask him what it was,
00:56he tells me it's called opera.
00:58I didn't even know it had a name.
01:00And then I was like, is it humanly possible?
01:03Because it truly sounded supernatural.
01:06I could not imagine that a human voice can do that.
01:11Or the feelings that it does.
01:14It goes beyond what I know, what I can touch, what we can see.
01:19It goes to a place where my soul and your soul, they meet.
01:23OPERA MUSIC
01:34Music has been a great, great part of my family, really.
01:38Every night after supper at home we had music.
01:42And I remember very, very well my grandmother teaching me songs from the church when I was 5 years old.
01:48Really, being a solo soprano started when I was 5 years old.
01:52OPERA MUSIC
02:01They didn't think it was important for me at that age to be taught about hatred and being different.
02:09I know about it. I am very aware about it.
02:12And I can see some scars of it that are still in our country.
02:17But I am very fortunate that I had parents who really gave me love.
02:24And a loving point of view for the world or for anyone who is different than me.
02:30And also the possibility to know that I can dream anything and I can achieve anything.
02:36OPERA MUSIC
02:49I only knew, had an idea of what I wanted to do when I was like maybe 14, 13, 15.
02:58I thought I would like to be an accountant.
03:03Because at the time in the country there were quite a few black accountants.
03:08And then I was like, oh, maybe I am one of them. So I want to be an accountant.
03:13It's a rehearsal today. One of our last orchestra rehearsals.
03:18And always exciting, always dramatic.
03:22OPERA MUSIC
03:52OPERA MUSIC
04:05I was the first black in the theatre. And I knew that it was a new thing.
04:10And so me knowing me made everybody else comfortable.
04:14Because we are all learning a new experience.
04:17And so that and of course once I started singing and hearing my voice and hearing how I make art.
04:24We knew that we were meant to be.
04:28And I think that's the beauty of music.
04:31Because in a big way it can teach the world that so many different harmonies work together to make something magical.
04:41OPERA MUSIC
04:50At the beginning it was more fear. I was so scared to go on stage.
04:55And I didn't know whether they would like me, whether they would like my voice.
04:59You know all the wrong things you are not supposed to think before going on stage.
05:03I decided to really talk to myself.
05:06And understand that the frisson that I feel before the performance or you know the days before.
05:13I want them to be feelings of joy, feelings of gratitude, feelings of oh it's a dream come true.
05:21OPERA MUSIC
05:51I have sung a couple of operas here in Paris.
05:55And the way the audience react I don't have words.
05:59Because you think they would react this way and they super exceed my expectations.
06:08When I'm in New York it feels like I'm not an opera singer, I'm not singing opera.
06:14It's like the audience are actually watching a movie.
06:16They are so you know engaging, you know they have laughs, they really like on the moment.
06:22And so you have some unexpected responses during the performances.
06:26And so I've just been very grateful that I have had this kind of uniform way of being accepted by different audiences wherever I go.
06:36OPERA MUSIC
06:51Well I've been regarded as a role model but it has been unintentional.
06:56It has always been a quest about how to make this magic and it continues to be.
07:01I didn't know that at the very same time my country regards me as one of the most successful people for the country as far as opera is concerned.
07:09Or somebody in Korea who didn't see themselves pursuing the career but because of me.
07:16They're like just because you are following your dream you are inspiring me to follow mine too.
07:23I had no idea that following my dream would actually make other people look at themselves too and say if she can do it I can do it too.
07:32Even if it's not opera.