06 November 2023 , 20:56
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Barbra Streisand has revealed she suffers from a secret battle that she keeps hidden from fans.
The iconic singer returned to the UK in 2019 for her first headline show in six years, but claimed at the time she does not like the sound of her own voice and is constantly wracked by self-doubt.
At the age of 77 and said to be worth £640million, Streisand also confirmed she still suffers stage fright, gets upset by critics and often agrees with her rare negative reviews. At the time of her revelation, she was set to take to the stage at the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park, in front of 50,000 people.
The long-awaited show delighted her army of fans over here, the Woman in Love star admitted she does not enjoy exercising her vocal chords, and will not sing if she is not on stage or in the recording studio. She said: “I never sing unless I have to. I don’t sing around the house.
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Barbra admitted she faces self-doubt (Getty Images North America)"Singing is like work to me, it’s professional. It’s something I do. It’s not cathartic – it’s the opposite. I don’t go around singing," Barbra added. “If I sang happy birthday at a birthday party I would sound lousy.”
However, she is in her element in the studio. She told the Mirror at the time: “I love recording, putting on the headphones and singing to the music I love. I love to sing in the studio, as you don’t have worry about how you look. It’s all about the music.”
Now 81, Barbra is regarded as one of the greatest vocalists in music and, given her record, could well claim to be the best ever. Streisand is one of the few EGOTs – entertainers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
She has also won nine Golden Globes, and holds the Billboard chart record as the female with most number-one albums. She is also the only recording artist to have had a number-one album in each of the last six decades.
Barbra Streisand is of EGOT statusThe star of Funny Girl, A Star Is Born, Yentl – and yes, Meet The Fockers – admits her insecurity is hard to reconcile with her phenomenal success, and has even sought help to figure it out. She said: “I’m a paradox, I think. I’m very vulnerable and I also have a sense of who I am, and this teacher said to me that’s good.
"You need the vulnerability to balance the part of me that’s secure. Every once in a while I get insecure, and think, ‘Do you think you can do that?’ You have to have self doubt. It’s what motivates you.”