Josh Groban Joins Barbra Streisand For Duet Of Beloved Hit

Dec 03, 2021 by apost team

Barbra Streisand is an icon in the world of entertainment — and very deservedly so. As one of the few entertainers to have been awarded Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards — aka winning the EGOT — Streisand can really do it all. Since her early 20s, this legend has wowed crowds with her confidence and her beautiful, eerily resonant voice. She has one of the most angelic voices of her generation, so to hear any music from her is wonderful. 

Streisand was born on Apr. 24, 1942, in New York City. After getting her start by performing in nightclubs and on Broadway in the 1960s, she soon transitioned to film and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her iconic portrayal of Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" in 1968. She continued to have success both musically and in Hollywood, and she even won a second Oscar for her work composing music for the 1976 version of "A Star Is Born." Over the years, she’s been a pop star, a musical movie star and an award-winning actress, so her limits really know no bounds.

As one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, it’s no surprise that the star never really slowed down despite growing older. At 79, Streisand is still a force to be reckoned with, and she often collaborates with other musicians of the highest caliber, including Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Wonder, Michael Buble and more.

Even in her 70s, she's continued to make exciting new music like this stunning version of “Somewhere” from the musical "West Side Story," which she sang with Josh Groban back in 2014.

Groban was born on Feb. 27, 1981 in Los Angeles, California. He originally studied acting but switched to singing as his vocal talents developed. Aside from recording music, Groban has also appeared on Broadway, where he made his debut in 2016. He later starred in the Netflix series "The Good Cop" and has appeared in multiple Hollywood films.

In terms of his singing abilities, Groban is one of the most impressive male singers of his generation, with a voice that's simultaneously strong and angelic. He famously sang with Celine Dion when he was only 17 years old after composer and producer David Foster asked him to stand in for Andrea Bocelli during a Grammy Awards rehearsal. Dion has told the story before and described Groban as nervous and shaking, which, to be fair, seems like a pretty normal response when you've been asked to sing with Dion as a teenager!

Since then, Groban has become a star in his own right, and he has also dueted with other high-caliber artists such as Dion, Bocelli and more. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before he and Streisand officially worked together on something.

One fact that the two singers share in common, aside from showbiz, is their Jewish heritage. Groban’s father was a descendant of Jewish immigrants from Poland and Ukraine, but he converted to Christianity upon marrying Groban’s mother. Both of Streisand’s parents were Jewish, and she grew up in a musical, Jewish household, with her mother having been a soprano and her father a cantor. 

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In fact, before their 2014 duet, Groban had worked with Streisand before, as they detailed in a video interview. The first time they sang together, he was only 19 years old. He was largely unknown and still just a college student majoring in musical theater. But just as Foster had believed in Groban's talent when he asked him to sing with Dion, he continued to champion the then-teen when he introduced him to Streisand. When they entered the studio, Streisand was wowed by his performance. She later recalled that Groban was a "step-in singer" back then, but she thought "he was wonderful." That’s one reason she was so excited to collaborate with him years later on “Somewhere.” 

Luckily for her, Groban has remained a fan of hers, too. In fact, she selected the perfect song to bring him onto the project with. Groban has long been on the record about loving the musical “West Side Story.” So of all the songs to approach him with, this one was perfect. Groban said proudly:

"This is one of her classics and so to have this duet with her is a huge honor."

Composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, "Somewhere" was first released in 1957. It incorporates movements from Beethoven's "Emperor" Piano Concerto, as well as Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."

Considering it is such an iconic song, Streisand and Groban were the perfect artists to come together for this performance. Their rendition sounded amazing since the tone of their voices just works so well together. 

What did you think of Barbra Streisand and Josh Groban's rendition of "Somewhere"? What are some of your favorite duets? Let us know, and send this duet on to another Groban or Streisand fan!