Streisand’s Stage Fright

Her mother tried to convince her not to pursue singing, indicating she wasn’t pretty enough. Yet, the maverick spirit of Barbra Streisand dared to go where her mother said she couldn’t – and she succeeded. However, an unexpected fear took away her ability to sing live in concert for nearly 3 decades.

Barbra is a victim of social anxiety that began when she couldn’t remember lyrics to a song she was singing in concert. Streisand was so traumatized by her perceived failure she withdrew from public singing. She still recorded music and she starred and directed movies, but the stage was a frightening place for someone that had seemed so unstoppable.

The Contradiction

In many ways it appeared that Streisand could have anything she wanted. After all she is the most successful female singer in the history of recorded music, she has been able to develop projects of personal interest to her and she can still sell out concerts whenever she agreed to sing. However, this same personality is quoted as saying, “Around people I don’t know, I’m totally at a loss.”

What Went Wrong?

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It can only be a guess, but I wonder if Streisand didn’t have higher expectations for herself than she could reasonably deliver. Perhaps her fear stemmed from the pressure she put on herself to succeed. Maybe the perceived failure on stage in 1967 pushed her away from the spotlight in response to humiliation. The longer she stayed away the easier it became to simply – stay away.

In Her own Words

“I can say, I am terribly frightened and fear is terrible and awful and it makes me uncomfortable, so I won’t do that because it makes me uncomfortable. Or I could say get used to being uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable doing something that’s risky. But so what? Do you want to stagnate and just be comfortable?”

“You know we are living in very hard times. We are living in fear and anger, and that is represented by the music.”

”I don’t enjoy public performances and being up on a stage. I don’t enjoy the glamour.”

”I just don’t want to be hampered by my own limitations.”

”I’m not that ambitious any more. I just like my privacy. I wish I really wasn’t talked about at all.”

”I’ve been called many names like perfectionist, difficult and obsessive. I think it takes obsession, takes searching for the details for any artist to be good.”

“Most awards, you know, they don’t give you unless you go and get them – did you know that? Terribly discouraging.”

“Oh God, don’t envy me, I have my own pains.”

Social Anxiety

The fear experienced in social settings seems to be one of the fastest growing fears in the U.S. Medication is routinely prescribed to help temper the apprehension associated with engaging the public. The use of the Internet and cell phones have contributed to the ease with which many are pushing themselves away from being in personal contact with others. Streisand continues to work through what she calls, “Obsessions” and has delighted audiences by coming back to the stage and facing her fears – one concert at a time.