At just 27 years old, Aigul Akhmetshina is already an international opera veteran and on the brink of yet another coup: starring in the Met Opera’s new production of Carmen, opening on New Year’s Eve. Since the Russian mezzo-soprano’s debut at the Royal Opera House in 2017, at 21, Akhmetshina has drawn comparisons to Anna Netrebko and wowed audiences across the globe with her powerful voice and undeniable stage presence. Under the direction of Carrie Cracknell (of Netflix’s Persuasion), her Carmen promises an unflinching look at the violence women face and how society confronts it (or doesn’t). Written by French composer George Bizet in 1875 and originally set in Seville, Carmen is the story of a woman whose love for two men leads to her tragic death—giving opera one of its most intoxicating and memorable tunes, “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle,” or the Habanera. We spoke to Akhmetshina at the Met about reimagining Carmen in 2023, how she relaxes in her off-hours, and what is at the top of a 20-something opera star’s Spotify Wrapped.
Vogue: Where are you from and how did you start singing?
Aigul Akhmetshina: I am from the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia, which is in the Ural mountains, a small village in the middle of nowhere. I came from a very ordinary family. But everyone in my family had beautiful classical voices. Like, if they trained, they would be opera singers too. My grandmother sang, my uncles sang, my grandfather played the accordion. Bashkort folk songs sound a lot like bel canto; very operatic. So that is how I started. I was just always listening to music and dreamt to be a pop singer.
What kind of music were you listening to as a kid?
Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion…I loved Queen! I love Depeche Mode now and Amy Winehouse. Now my day can start with, say, listening to Wagner…the overture to Tannhäuser. Or it can start with jazz or salsa. Or I put on some Depeche Mode. I am planning to see the jazz singer Samara Joy, which I am very excited about.
How did you go from singing folk songs in your village to debuting at the Royal Opera House in Covet Garden at 21?
My first performance was in kindergarten. I performed for the village..like a Mother’s Day celebration. When I was six I decided I wanted to go to music school. For my mother it was a bit difficult; she was a single mother with three kids. I finished music school early and left at 14 to go to college, to study classical singing. I also worked as a waitress and a stilt walker while I was there! When I finished college, I was going to try and study music in the university in Moscow, but they didn’t accept me.
That’s unbelievable, sitting here now. So there were some setbacks.
Yes. I told my mother that after that I would choose to study something more stable, not music. When I was returning home from Moscow, I got in a car accident that nearly ruined my voice. I put all of my awards and trophies from singing in a box in the garage labeled “Aigul’s Bullshit” and waited to apply to university the next year, maybe journalism or psychology. But my teacher said no way and we started again, rebuilding my voice. I sounded like a dying animal. During that time, I got a phone call from a competition in Moscow, to compete. There I met a casting director of a young artists program at the Royal Opera House, which eventually took me to London.
You’ve just come from London, where you did a performance with Marina Abramović involving famous scenes from Maria Callas’s career. How was that?
That was completely different, with a very different public. It was a mix of visual art and classical singing. We were a soundtrack to the visual art, which didn’t bother me. I thought, if it brings a new audience, then why not? Our art form at this moment is in a very vulnerable position. Now is the time to collaborate, to try new collaborations. Some will work, some may not. But we have to try.
Tell me about this production of Carmen, which is a role you’ve done several times now. How is this production different?
This is the seventh production of Carmen for me. This season for me is full of Carmen; I call it “50 Shades of Carmen.” [Laughs.] I opened the season with Carmen in Munich, then I sang it in Berlin. Now I am singing it here in a new production. After, I will go to London, where it will be another new production. Then I have Carmen in Glyndebourne. Then in Napoli…constantly Carmen. But this is the first time I am creating the show from a woman’s perspective. Carrie Cracknell, the director, has a very clear idea of what message she wants to send to the world. We want to have some empathy for Carmen. To not explain that her death is a crime of passion, [but] that no matter what, she didn’t deserve to die. Domestic violence is happening, it’s a part of our culture. Most of the time, society just closes their eyes. This problem exists and we need to pay attention.
The production is set in present-day in America. How does that work?
It is set in the modern world, in America. The tobacco factory from the original is a gun factory. It deals with crossing the border, guns, drugs. And we are people that are trying to get a better life.
How will this Carmen look?
We are still doing the costume fittings, but it’s a modern world. The style is a bit street. It’s very casual: T-shirts, jeans. She has these amazing turquoise cowboy boots. The star of the show will be the boots. [Laughs.] It will be hip-hop, street style. It’s interesting to combine this music with that choreography.
When you mention hip-hop and Carmen together, I immediately think of Beyoncé’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera from 2001. Have you seen it?
I’ve seen it. The music is different. That is the magic of this story: You can transform it to any time.
You must know the character of Carmen so well at this point. How do you relate to her?
I just love her. She is very honest. Every time when she says “I love you” to somebody, she means it. At that time she really believes that she is in love. She is so desperate to live, to feel something. She lives on the edge with these extreme feelings. If she hates, she hates, if she loves, she goes for it. It’s like a fire.
Is Aigul like that?
I am more cautious. But I can release everything on stage. We are adrenaline-addicted, all artists.
At 27 you’ve already accomplished so much. How do you keep that in perspective?
I’ve always had this feeling that I cannot waste time. I am always rushing to live. I have had this feeling from an early age. When people say I am young, that I have time…I think, no! Life will go very quickly.
How do you relax when you’re not in Carmen mode?
When I come back home I am very tired, but I have my New York bucket list. I want to go ice-skating in Central Park. I want to go to the Statue of Liberty. When I walk on the street in New York, because of the rhythm I love to listen to techno. I recently discovered this DJ that mixes classical music with techno beats. He is French, called Leblanc. I also discovered a new young composer who writes piano music, Fyodor Biryuchev. I met him in London, and I said, “Let’s do a collaboration.”
What was on your Spotify Wrapped? My guess is it’s not much opera….
The number one was a song called “Masculinity.” I don’t know how it became my top; I just discovered it. I found it on Instagram and the video was very atmospheric. I listen to one song on repeat until I’m tired of it. Another is a song by Paolo Nutini called “Iron Sky.” It gives me energy. This job can be very lonely. I listen to it when I think, Oh, I can’t do this anymore, or, I’m too tired. It gives me strength.