Decca Classics has announced the signing of mezzo soprano Aigul Akhmetshina.

The 27-year-old singer’s career has already included performances in companies such as Deutsche Opera Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra national de Paris, and the Metropolitan Opera, where her roles this season include Carmen in Carrie Cracknell's new production. Debuts at Wiener Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich and Theater an der Wien will follow soon. 

Akhmetshina became the youngest artist to take on the title role in Bizet’s Carmen at the Royal Opera House at the age of 21 in 2018, becoming the youngest member of the house's Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the age of 18. Since then, Aigul has performed in the company’s The Barber of Seville, as well as in West Side Story at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and The 7 Deaths of Maria Callas at ENO. She was also named Best Female Singer at the 2023 International Opera Awards.

Akhmetshina's musical journey began in a rural village in Bashkortostan, as one of three children to a single mother. Developing a love of music early on, she performed folk songs and learned the only instrument available to her - her grandfather’s accordion. 

Director of the Decca Classics Label, Dominic Fyfe, said of the signing: ‘I first heard Aigul in a London church in the depths of winter … her voice could make snow melt.’ Decca Co-President, Tom Lewis, also said in a statement: 'Aigul’s story is an extraordinary reminder of the transformative power of music … She has a voice that will captivate the world.’

Prior to her signing, Akhmetshina has appeared on a number of records in collaboration with high-profile artists, including Freddie Di Tomasso’s ‘Il Tenore’, where her performance was described as ‘self-assured, super cool’ by Gramophone’s Tim Ashley.

Akhmetshina's debut album, ‘Aigul’, will showcase her signature role as Carmen alongside other renowned arias. In a homage to her upbringing, the album also includes an arrangement of a Bashkort folk song, ’Nightingale’. 

Akhmetshina's single ‘Habañera’ is out today on all streaming platforms – you can listen to it via Apple Music below – and her album will be released on July 26.