Q&A

When did you start singing?
Age 5, in the church choir.

Why did you start singing?
It was way to best communicate.

Which singer inspired you most when you were young?
Whitney Houston.

Which singer do you most admire?
Ella Fitzgerald, Leontyne Price, Beyoncé (it's impossible to choose!)

What's your favourite role?
Carmen right now.

What role have you never played but would have liked to?
Amneris from Aida.

What's your favourite opera to watch?
Aida.

Who is your favourite composer?
Verdi.

J'Nai

J'Nai at the Charles Wright Academy

As captain of the basketball team

Who is your favourite writer?
James Baldwin.

Who is your favourite theatre or film director?
Steven Spielberg.

Who is your favourite actor?
Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep.

Who is your favourite dancer?
Michael Jackson.

What is your favourite book?
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

What is your favourite film?
The Color Purple and Hook.

Which is your favourite city?
New York… Barcelona.

What do you like most about yourself?
My fairly easygoing nature.

What do you dislike about yourself?
When I am disorganized… I just need an assistant hehe.

What was your proudest moment?
Graduating from college and singing at the graduation ceremony. Seeing how proud my parents were made me feel accomplished.

When and where were you happiest?
When I was living in Chicago from 2012 to 2015. Great city and time in my life.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Music and God.

J'Nai Bridges as Delilah in Washington National Opera's Samson and Delilah, 2020

J'Nai Bridges as Carmen, photo by Cory Weaver, San Francisco Opera 2019

J'Nai Bridges with Piotr Beczala in Luisa Miller at the Liceu in Barcelona 2019 © A Bofill

What is your greatest fear?
Honestly I don't really have any fears.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My foot size, lol! Would love smaller feet. But hey, I guess you can say I'm grounded and planted firm.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Making my Met debut singing Queen Nefertiti from Akhnaten by Philip Glass.

What is your most treasured possession?
A necklace that my late godfather gave me.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Gowns.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Hope. I think hoping is a bit futile because it's based on an expectation or desire. It's more in the doing than wishing. Having faith makes more sense to me.

On what occasion do you lie?
I don't lie. It's gotten me in some trouble actually, haha!

If you hadn't been a singer what would you have liked to be?
Psychologist or Music Therapist.

Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala, Premiere Of Porgy and Bess photo by Jonathan Tichler 2019

Publicity for Washington National Opera's Samson and Delilah, photo by Cade Martin

What is your most marked characteristic?
My eyebrows.

What quality do you most value in a friend?
Trust.

What quality do you most value in a colleague?
Respect.

Which historical figure do you most admire?
Harriet Tubman.

Which living person do you most admire?
My parents.

J'Nai Bridges at the Met

J'Nai Bridges in Central Park

J'Nai Bridges backstage

What do you most dislike?
Bad smells.

What talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be able to draw. I'm so bad at it but I love art

What's your idea of perfect happiness?
Having a healthy loving family and no worries of money. Continuing to do what I love every day and be surrounded by whole people.

How would you like to die?
In my sleep.

What is your motto?
J'Ready.

Keep up with J'Nai Bridges via her website, Facebook page, on Twitter, or her Instagram account.

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.