While promoting her latest album, Release Me 2, Barbra Streisand mentioned that she is disappointed in the most recent remake of A Star is Born, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
Since the original A Star Is Born premiered in 1937, several remakes have since been created. Barbra Streisand, herself, appeared in the 1976 version alongside Kris Kristofferson.
According to Billboard, Streisand’s version of the movie and soundtrack earned several accolades including four nominations at the 49th Oscars, the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs, an award for best original song, and even a Grammy for best original score written for a motion picture or a television special.
A Rivalry Is Born
Most recently, Lady Gaga’s version of the movie and soundtrack has also earned several accolades. The list goes on: eight award nominations and four Grammy Awards between 2019 and 2020. These included best pop duo/group performance and best compilation soundtrack for visual media.
Streisand can’t deny the newest remake is successful, but she maintains it lacks flavor. “I can’t argue with success,” she admits. “But I don’t care so much about success as I do originality.”
In her opinion, the newest remake just simply falls flat.
Barbra Streisand Makes a Statement with New Album Release Me 2
Barbra Streisand sat down for an in-depth conversation about her latest album release this month. Streisand had a lot on her mind when putting the album together.
“I was talking at that time (1971) about the Vietnam War. That’s what I was thinking about. And hunger has always been a problem in the world. So many things are still a problem – homelessness for children,” she told The Associated Press. “The world has changed a lot for the better, but a lot has remained the same. And it’s amazing how I was mixing this thinking how relevant it was to today’s world.”
Her Next Chapter: A Book
While sitting down with The Associated Press to promote her new album, Barbra Streisand also let it slip that she is working on a book. The work includes tales and tribulations from her original journal entries in 1999.
She initially planned for the book’s completion in 2016, but she encountered some bumps. “I signed a book deal in 2014 and it was supposed to be done in two years. (Laughs.) I’m long overdue and my book is 824 pages at the moment and it’s not finished.”
When asked about her creative process, Streisand says authenticity is most important to her. One of her favorite parts of working on the book is the fact that she can wear whatever she wants, and be whoever she wants: “Never had to dress up for anybody. It was kind of delicious to walk around my gardens and rearrange certain things. But basically, it was about writing the book.”
At the end of the day, Streisand reminds us to “have faith in goodness and kindness, doing the right thing, and compassion. “