Acclaimed mezzo soprano J'Nai Bridges almost didn't make it to the Metropolitan Opera. In high school, she was captain of the varsity basketball team with her sights set on going pro. And though Bridges grew up singing in her church choir, it wasn't until she was forced to choose between the sport she knew and the art she loved that she began taking her passion seriously.
Come senior year, when confronted with two conflicting events –– leading her team to finals victory and important rehearsals for the operaBridges felt she let her team down, but ultimately knew she had to stay true to herself:"And I think it was also a combination of pride and dignity where I was like, 'I'm not going to go to state championships and sit on a bench. I'm just not,'" Bridges says."As a captain, as a queen.
In person, I learn how Bridges showcases a similar strength to the queen she played at the Met, where it comes from and how it is fueling her continual rise to stardom.J'nai Bridges: My mom was a Black Panther at one point in her life, and I think I had a very strong sense of self from an early age as a result. I grew up in Washington state and when I was younger, I went to a private school, where I was the only Black person. And I was like,, and then my younger brother came to the school.
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