Chalamet opera comments hurtful, says singer

A classical singer has dubbed Timothée Chalamet's recent comments about opera as hurtful and ignorant, but suggests that positive awareness can come of it.

The Oscar-nominated actor triggered a backlash from the performing arts world after he dismissed ballet and opera as art forms that audiences "do not care about" as part of a conversation on preserving cinema.

Nancy May, 32, a classical singer from Great Dunmow in Essex, has been trying to give the genre more exposure by bursting into song while in busy public areas.

"I think it's a bit controversial to say, but sometimes bad press is good press, and, at the end of the day, it's got people talking about opera and ballet more," she said.

"It's a very flippant thing to say about something that people have trained most of their lives for - and dedicated a lot of time to - and it is still absolutely loved all over."

In February, Chalamet spoke to actor Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas about the prospect of cinema becoming a dying art.

"I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no-one cares about this anymore'," Chalamet said.

"All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there," he quickly added.

May said that, while the comments were hurtful, the social media backlash had generated millions of views for pages like the Metropolitan Opera, which responded to Chalamet's claims.

The singer has been performing live to the public, including at Chelmsford, Essex, and King's Cross Railway Station in London, in an effort to break down barriers for the genre.

May has performed for thousands as a regular special guest on opera star Russell Watson's tour.

However, she said she was surprised to find that no-one batted an eyelid during her High Street performances.

"Most of the time, no one even turns a head. It's really strange," she said.

"I don't know if it's to do with where we are in this modern world, but everyone just puts their head down on their phones, and thinks: 'What a strange thing to do'."

She admitted the lack of response to her impromptu singing had thrown her off on some occasions.

"It's like, 'God, do I sound really bad?'. The person that was filming with me, Georgia, she was like, 'No, you sound great', but it's just so funny," she said.

"It's like I don't exist or I'm invisible, because it is loud and quite intrusive. It's only for a short amount of time, but it is crazy that people just don't interact or act as if it's not happening."

But she said the lack of reaction was a reminder that everyone was just minding their own business, and that it should empower people to stop caring what others think.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.