Barbra Streisand is the last person you might expect to have stage fright. But in a recent episode of Carpool Karaoke, the prolific singer, actress, and filmmaker admitted just how much stage fright has impacted her career.
There was “a long moment”— 27 years, in fact— when Streisand didn’t perform. Now, before Streisand goes onstage, she tells herself to “let go and let God” to get her in the right headspace to face a large crowd.
“Before I go onstage, I pretend I’m Barbra Streisand,” host James Corden jokes in return. But the singer-songwriter admits that she doesn’t really think of herself that way.
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Of course, Streisand has overcome her fears since then. “I don’t get nervous-nervous, but I don’t enjoy it," the actress and singer said, adding, “I just don’t want to disappoint people.”
Streisand certainly hasn’t been disappointing people. She’s produced dozens of albums, and won Golden Globes and Emmys, among other awards. In the interview, the actress admits to one diva moment; she called Tim Cooke of Apple to the Siri pronunciation of her name.
Streisand and Corden went on to sing “Don’t Lie To Me,” one of the songs from her new album, Walls. The album is her Streisand’s thirty-sixth and was just released on Apple Music and iTunes. Its her first album in more than a decade to feature mostly original songs.
Walls is a political album for the times, the singer explains. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she is not shy about her political views; the singer calls Trump "a buffoon" and the Kavanaugh hearings "a joke." Streisand emphasizes the importance of voting, even adding "don't forget to vote!" to tweets promoting her new album. “Remember, I tied with Katherine Hepburn for best actress,” she jokes, in reference to the 1969 Academy Awards. “Talk to me about the importance of one vote.”