Teen opera singer picked up by German radio station

Supplied

Tayla Alexander has performed for dignitaries in a number of languages. Now the 17-year-old opera singer is getting airtime on German radio.

An exceptionally talented teenager has gone global after her version of Kate Bush's classic, Wuthering Heights, was picked up by a German radio station.

The rendition was a collaboration between s17-year-old Tayla Alexander, a composer and a concert pianist. It received air time on Radio Universal in Dortmand after a fan sent them a copy.

The Auckland-based opera singer, who is still at school, released her debut album, Songbird, in 2012 at the age of 11 and was awarded an AIMES scholarship in 2014.

She has subsequently performed for dignitaries, been admitted to the Auckland Opera Studio as their youngest-ever member and clocked up hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook videos.

But the latest achievement was a nostalgic moment for Alexander because the song had been made with someone she listened to as a child.

Supplied

Seventeen-year-old opera singer Tayla Alexander is making waves overseas with a song made in collaboration with concert pianist Hadley Ronayne (left) and composer Carl Doy (right).

"I grew up listening to Carl Doy's magnificent music, so it was a huge privilege to work with him as our producer," Alexander said.

Doy, now 71 years old, is a multi-platinum-selling concert pianist who has worked with Shirley Bassey, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and B.B. King.

Alexander said she was "terrified" to work with him when they first met because of how highly regarded he was as a musician and producer.

Five years on, the trepidation had been replaced with respect and Alexander believed creating music with someone who understood her goals as an artist had been invaluable.

"I always say that creating a song is like taking a piece of your heart and putting it out for people to see," Alexander said.

"He was really great in finding a way to make it a collaboration, even though I was so young."

Doy, who is currently performing overseas, described Alexander as an "extraordinary talent".

"She was remarkable to start with but somehow manages to improve every time," Doy said.

"I'm hoping we'll be able to do more work together before the opera world claims her full attention."

Alexander's latest offering to the opera world is currently in the process of having a video made but can be found on Apple Music and Spotify.

She hopes to release her sophomore album next year.

New Zealand Music Month begins May 1.