Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has just turned 70 but her enthusiasm for singing is as fresh as ever.
"I've never found another job, or another life that I want more than the one I have now," the opera legend said. "No regrets."
Dame Kiri gave her first live performance when she was just six-years-old, at a local radio station in Gisborne on New Zealand's North Island.
She shot to fame in 1971, and just over a decade later sang at Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding.
With a decades-long career that's taken her all over the world, Dame Kiri is ready to give back to the next generation of singers.
In 2004 she established the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation to nurture new talent.
"Some [singers in the foundation] are doing extremely well," she said. "Some only need a small amount of help because they're already on the way."
Dame Kiri has fans all over the world, including at least one in the federal parliament. Speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop issued the septuagenarian a personal invitation to Question Time.
"Isn't it nice? She's an important person!" Dame Kiri said.
The opera singer is touring Australia this month, before heading to her native New Zealand.
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