Placido Domingo counts himself a Lady Gaga fan

Plácido Domingo, the world’s greatest living tenor, has bestowed his admiration on Lady Gaga, arguably the world’s biggest pop star.

In an interview that recently ran in the British tabloid the Daily Mail, Domingo said he believes “Lady Gaga has a very good voice. Absolutely. She has a wonderful voice.”

He added: “I know she’s very wild in her performance, and clever, and she does all these things to please the youth. But when you listen to her, the voice is good.”

The interview ran in advance of Domingo’s June appearance in “Turandot” at Wembley Stadium in London. The tenor also complimented the vocal talents of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Madonna and the late Whitney Houston.

Domingo has occasionally teamed with pop singers. He has performed alongside Dion, John Denver, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick and others.

Domingo also said he isn’t a fan of the iPod. “My No. 1 rule is I do not put anything in my ears. No iPod, nothing like this. Even on a plane I won’t put the headphones on to watch a film,” he told the newspaper.

“When I am teaching, I tell all the young musicians ‘never put something in your ear to hear music.’ Hear it naturally. Then memorize it. The ear is the most precious thing a singer has.”

Domingo is the general director of L.A. Opera. His most recent appearance on the mainstage was in the title role of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra.”

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