Toronto-born singer Christina Smith thinks of her breakthrough in the classical music industry as a “happy accident.”
“My mom would play a lot of classical music in the house, so it kind of became part of our daily life,” she tells blogTO.
“We’d be on the bus, and she used to think I was screaming until she realized there were actually matching pitches with some of the songs that we’ve heard on the radio. And that’s when she realized that I gravitated towards classical music.”
Smith said singing classical music immediately felt “natural” to her.
Smith, a Toronto-based Caribbean-Canadian making waves as an opera performer, moved back to Kingston, Jamaica, when she was 11. Upon realizing her talents, she recalls people asking her to sing genres like gospel, but she says she couldn’t “belt to save my life.”
That’s when she worked with a vocal teacher who gave her the chance to sing opera and other genres of classical music, confirming her mother’s suspicions: hitting those classical notes is where she shone the most.
“It felt so natural that it became a part of me,” she said.
That part of her has helped her redefine what it means to be successful as a classic musical singer in today’s age.
On Instagram, her videos have garnered over 20 million views in the last few weeks, with around 50,000 followers on both TikTok and Instagram.
She’s even caught the attention of SZA, who reposted a video featuring Smith on her story.
Making classical music more accessible online has also allowed her to introduce genres like opera to a broader audience, she says.
“By kind of making it more Gen Z, it’s creating this accessibility that opera didn’t always have,” said Smith.
Her presence on social media showcases her ability to reach younger viewers with her talents, demonstrating that opera can appeal to audiences beyond its traditional demographic.
“I think it goes back to something I’ve always said, anything you’ve heard in a pop song was in an opera 300 years ago. All the same feelings, all the same emotions, all the relationships. It’s all so relevant to 2025.”
Through social media, Smith is reaching a new demographic in the classical music audience.
After moving back to Canada at 13, Smith views her existence as a first-generation Canadian in a different light. She says there’s a “deep connection” with the place where you’re born, as well as with the place where your parents were born.
“Moving back gave me that direct connection in a sense that I still feel so proud when I hear the Jamaican anthem, that I feel like it’s my own anthem,” said Smith.
As a Black woman from Jamaica in the classical music sphere, Smith’s roots as a Caribbean-Canadian artist also shape her perspective on her purpose and place in the industry.
“I think there’s always been this barrier, whether it be language or a financial barrier, for people to experience opera,” she said. “I would say to any Caribbean young woman or child, you don’t owe your success to anybody. You owe it to yourself to be the best version of yourself, so you can do that for other people in reflection.”
Today, Smith has a multitude of accomplishments behind her and a promising future ahead, including her recent starring role in the Canadian production of Bring It On: The Musical, which closed on June 22.
She calls the experience “divine timing” during a period when she felt like giving up on pursuing theatre.
“Coming back into it that felt so authentic and was also that reminder that live performance has that power, and it has that ability to make you feel things in real-time,” she said. “Seeing real life on stage, I think, is so powerful.”
Her best advice for younger audiences who want to follow in her footsteps is to break free from the mould — no matter how hard it is to resist conforming.
“Pigeon holes are for pigeons,” she said. “Do not limit yourself, do not put yourself in a box, do not let this industry put you in a box. Because I think when we decide to think outside of the box, we create outside of the box as well.”
