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PARIS (AP) 鈥� Taylor Swift isn't the only singer fans are flocking to Paris to hear.

Lise Davidsen has become biggest draw, attracting crowds to the Paris Op茅ra for her first performances in the title role of Strauss鈥� 鈥淪alome鈥� during the same week Swift filled La D茅fense Arena across town for the .

鈥淚t鈥檚 a voice of the century,鈥� said American director Lydia Steier, who staged the sex-and-alcohol-fueled 鈥淪alome鈥� at the Bastille. 鈥淚t's an insane intensity acoustically. I think its electric.鈥�

Andreas Homoki, director general of the Zurich Opera, gave Davidsen her first major role in 2016 as Agathe in Weber鈥檚 鈥淒er Freisch眉tz.鈥�

鈥淪omebody said she鈥檚 the new Nina Stemme. I disagree. She鈥檚 the new Nilsson,鈥� he said in a comparison with Birgit Nilsson, regarded as one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos of the 20th century.

Davidsen is in the midst of a that included her first staged performances in the title role of Jan谩膷ek鈥檚 鈥淛en暖fa鈥� in Chicago last November and her role debut as Leonora in the Metropolitan Opera鈥檚 new production of Verdi鈥檚 鈥淟a Forza del Destino鈥� in February. She climbed another big step in the ladder of the leading dramatic soprano repertoire with her Salome debut Thursday.

鈥淚 feel very, very lucky that I have this job and that I get to do this as a career,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an unbelievably privileged job, but it鈥檚 also an unbelievably hard job. I think it鈥檚 important to remember that it鈥檚 a gift to be able to do this because in the hard days, I wonder if I should just quit and never sing again. But then when you get to the end of a run or end of a show even or a good rehearsal, you think what a gift it is to do this.鈥�

Davidsen starts this 鈥淪alome鈥� in a back room of the brutalist set where Herod's orgy is taking place, wearing a white raincoat, her black hair stringy in a Goth look. She wanders onto a staircase as three attendants in yellow hazmat suits dispose of bodies.

Steier replaces the dance of the seven veils with a gang rape. In another iconic scene, a Salome body double holds the severed head of Jochanaan (John the Baptist), while Davidsen sings the final portion of her 15-minute solo in a cage. She鈥檚 with Johan Reuter, who portrayed Jochanaan, and they rise toward the rafters in an apparent hallucination before Herod orders her death.

The audience whooped after the final note of Sunday's matinee, the second of seven performances through May 28.

鈥淪he makes it sound easy. She makes it sound effortless,鈥� conductor Mark Wigglesworth said of her voice. 鈥淚t鈥檚 big, but she never shouts. It鈥檚 got a beauty to it. That means you鈥檙e not conscious of quantity, you鈥檙e just focused on the quality.鈥�

Davidsen called Steier鈥檚 controversial staging 鈥渦nbelievably new and modern.鈥�

"As long as it makes sense, as long as there is reason, I really enjoy doing it,鈥� she said.

At the Met on Feb. 26, Davidsen was so overwhelmed by the audience response after her big fourth-act aria, 鈥淧ace, pace, mio dio!鈥� that she broke character, bowing her head and putting a hand over her heart.

鈥淩elief that it went well and I was happy about it,鈥� she explained a few days later.

Davidsen has been home of late only for brief stretches between singing engagements. She and her fiance have a house in London and are building one in Norway.

On the days of performances, Davidsen has a mundane routine that includes walks, laundry, naps and yoga. She gets to the opera house about 2 1/2 hours before curtain to warm up and go for hair and makeup.

Nervous energy on opening nights doesn鈥檛 dissipate until the wee hours.

鈥淚 pass out in a way rather than sort of fall asleep properly,鈥� she said.

Now 37, the 6-foot-2 Norwegian debuted at the Vienna State Opera in 2017 in the title role of Strauss鈥� 鈥淎riadne auf Naxos,鈥� at London鈥檚 Royal Opera in 2018 as Freia in Wagner鈥檚 鈥淒as Rheingold,鈥� at the Bayreuth Festival in 2019 as Elisabeth in Wagner鈥檚 鈥淭annh盲user鈥� and at the Met in 2019 as Lisa in Tchaikovsky鈥檚 鈥淧ique Dame (The Queen of Spades).鈥�

Even with a string of accolades, Davidsen approaches each role with trepidation.

鈥淎m I good enough?鈥� she said. 鈥淚t surprises me every time how nervous I get.鈥�

She is to sing Act 2 of Wagner鈥檚 鈥淭ristan und Isolde鈥� for the first time in concert with conductor Simon Rattle and tenor Stuart Skelton with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in concert on Nov. 1 and 3 in Munich, then sings 鈥淭osca鈥� at the Met starting Nov. 12 and Leonore in Beethoven鈥檚 鈥淔idelio鈥� there opening on March 4.

"I really wanted to do the 鈥楩idelio鈥� here and, of course, when I was asked to do 'Tosca鈥� that was a very clear yes for me,鈥� she said in New York before heading to Europe.

Opera aficionados await her first full Isolde and Br眉nnhilde,

鈥淭he Verdi has now been a very big thing for me to get to do 鈥楧on Carlo鈥� and then 鈥橣orza鈥� and I would like to do a 'Un Ballo in Maschera,'" she said. 鈥淎nd then of course Tosca, it鈥檚 a really big thing for me next season. And then ever further away, maybe the bigger Wagner roles. I hope that the Verdi, Puccini, Strauss world can be my plan for some more years.鈥�

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press