Barbra Streisand may be an iconic, legendary singer, but to her grandkids, she’s simply “grandma.” The 83-year-old singer, actress, and director opened up in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE about her upcoming album, The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, and her special moments with her family, especially her grandkids.
Family is the Secret of Life
Streisand shared that family is one of the things that makes life so special. “It’s wonderful to have family,” she told PEOPLE, adding that the album’s title, The Secret of Life, reflects that idea. “The secret is several things, but one of them is family.”
Streisand, who has been married to actor James Brolin since 1998, says she feels lucky to have found love later in life. The two met in 1996 at a dinner party arranged by their friends and married two years later at Streisand’s Malibu home.
Brolin expressed his happiness in his wedding speech, saying, “I can’t tell you how lucky I am that this would happen to me so late in life… Every night is a new adventure. Sleeping is a waste of time. I can’t wait to see her again in the morning.”
Doting on Her Grandkids
Streisand loves spending time with her family, especially her grandkids. She dotes on her stepson Josh Brolin’s two daughters, Chapel Grace, 4, and Westlyn Reign, 6, as well as her stepdaughter Molly’s 3-year-old son Soli. Streisand is also the mother of Jason Gould, 58, whom she shares with ex-husband Elliott Gould.
Streisand recalled a recent visit from Josh’s wife, Kathryn, who is also a photographer. She invited her daughter-in-law and grandchildren over to take photos for the album cover of her new record. “I had asked my daughter-in-law, who’s also a photographer, to bring the children over and take some pictures with me,” she said.
“The kids were walking toward me, and I was standing behind a screen door, and I said, ‘Oh Kathryn, take this picture right now.'” Streisand added that the feeling when her family is together is always “joyous” and “very, very special.”
A Passion for Music
Despite her long and successful career, Streisand has no plans to stop making music anytime soon. “As long as I have a voice, I love the privacy of recording,” she said. “I love standing there in front of the mic with the music in my ears and singing, and there are more songs I want to sing.
I even have my original list of songs I’ve wanted to sing since I was 18 years old.”
Her new album, The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, will be released on Friday, June 27.
