The life of Pretty Yende

Brut America

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.

Transcript

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.

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