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Born in South Africa during apartheid, Pretty Yende grew up singing hymns with her grandmother on the way to church. This past May she dazzled Westminster Abbey at the coronation of King Charles, cementing her status as one of the world’s most sought-after sopranos. Yende says her journey is proof that nothing is impossible. Back in Paris for “The Tales of Hoffman” at the Opéra Bastille, she spoke to Alison Sargent about the joys of playing a doll, her love of singing in French and why “there’s nothing as cool as opera”.