Barbra Streisand Doesn’t Find Singing ‘Cathartic’: ‘If I Sang Happy Birthday I Would Sound Lousy’

She may be considered one of the greatest singers of our time, but Barbra Streisand isn’t exactly a fan of belting out a tune unless she’s on stage or in the studio.

“I never sing unless I have to. I don’t sing around the house,” the 77-year-old revealed to Mirror. “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. If I sang happy birthday at a birthday party I would sound lousy.”

This is of course coming from a performer who is one of the few people who has the honor of being a EGOT — Barbra has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. The legend also holds the Billboard chart record as the female with most number-one albums. However, there are times where, even with all these accolades, she isn’t entirely sure of herself.

“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,” the A Star Is Born actress explained to the outlet. “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.”

While Barbra doesn’t like to sing for herself, she does feel comfortable in the studio. “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,” she said.

When she isn’t wowing people with her incredible talent after decades in the industry, Barbra is spending time with her husband James Brolin, who she has been married to since 1998. Before this relationship, the icon tied the knot with Elliot Gould in 1963, parting ways in 1971. The pair had one son, Jason.

“When I felt guilty about leaving my first husband, I lost my voice,” Barbra revealed. “All of a sudden I found myself on stage and couldn’t hold a note and i started thinking about how I do this? I went to this wonderful teacher for one session and said ‘You don’t have to learn this, you do it naturally.’”

Barbra is all about singing for work, and she will be doing that again soon, as she is set to perform in some big venues — she will hit the Hyde Park stage in London on Sunday, July 7, and then sing at Madison Square Garden on August 13.