Barbra Streisand is one of those rare stars who can do it all. She can sing, act, write, and direct. Her skill and talent seemingly knows no bounds. She is one of those big stars who everyone on planet Earth seems to have at least heard about.
Lady Gaga is another star who is striving to have as multi-faceted a career as Streisand. Her musical talent is known by many, but she is also making a name for herself as an actress. She starred in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born, a film Streisand also starred in a remake of.
Streisand has been vocal about her feelings toward Gaga and the remake. But were her thoughts always positive?
Lady Gaga Becomes A Huge Pop Star
Lady Gaga's first album "The Fame" was released in 2008. The first single "Just Dance" became a huge hit. However, it didn't happen instantly. According to Gaga, it was a real battle to get the song played on the radio, because it was a dance song. At the time, dance music wasn't as popular, and it was especially risky if you were a new artist.
The fight paid off in the end, because Gaga's career took off. Her second single, "Poker Face," sealed the deal. She was now becoming one of the new superstars of her generation.
Her next project initially started as a deluxe version of her debut. However, it grew into an EP titled "The Fame Monster." The effort spawned the hit single "Bad Romance," which remains one of Gaga's most successful singles.
Her second studio album was released in 2011. Titled "Born This Way," the message of the album was about self-acceptance and celebrating individuality. It spoke to Gaga's young fan base, most of whom were LGBTQ. Gaga positioned herself as an advocate for equality and championed anti-bullying causes.
Lady Gaga Scores Her First Starring Role In Remake Of 'A Star Is Born'
In 2014, she released her first album of duets with the legendary Tony Bennett, "Cheek to Cheek." In 2015, she won a Golden Globe for acting in Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story. Gaga also performed at the Academy Awards, the Grammys, and sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl.
In 2016, she released her album "Joanne," named after her aunt who died of lupus. The album saw Gaga working with Mark Ronson and adapting a more stripped down sound. She had ditched the dance-pop of her earlier work and delved deeper into rock. This would become the basis of Gaga's next project.
That same year, Gaga confirmed she would be starring alongside Bradley Cooper in the remake of A Star Is Born. The film would be Cooper's directorial debut and Gaga's first starring role. When the film was released in 2018, it was a huge success both critically and commercially.
Gaga's performance received praise and she was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Actress in 2019. The film's song "Shallow" was also nominated that year and won for Best Original Song. The song was co-written with Ronson, who joined Gaga on stage to accept the trophy.
Several years after the perceived failure of her 2013 album "Artpop," Gaga was once again dominating the charts and winning over audiences. Her success in the film helped audiences to see a new side to her artistry and talent.
Barbra Streisand Praises, Then Criticizes 'A Star Is Born' Remake
When Gaga and Cooper were promoting A Star Is Born in 2018, they consistently praised Streisand and her version of the film.
It seemed as though the feelings were mutual, with Streisand telling Extra that year, "I loved it. I think it’s wonderful. [Gaga is] wonderful."
Streisand elaborated on her thoughts about the film when speaking to Variety that same year.
"It’s good. I don’t want to talk about it because I don’t want to spook it," she said. "I can’t believe that was 40-some years ago. I think [director Cooper] did a wonderful job with [Gaga]. I thought when it was going to be done it was going to be very different and have a multiracial cast, and the music was going to be rap. But it’s more like the movie I made."
However, in 2021, it seemed as though Streisand changed her mind about the film. When speaking to the Australian talk show The Sunday Project, Streisand once again mentioned the similarities to her version.
"At first, when I heard it was going to be done again, it was supposed to be Will Smith and Beyoncé, and I thought, that’s interesting," she said. "Really make it different again, different kind of music, integrated actors, I thought that was a great idea. So, I was surprised when I saw how alike it was to the version that I did in 1976."
Streisand went on to say that she thought the similarities to her version was "the wrong idea." However, she did admit that she "can't argue with success."
Still, Streisand added, "I don’t care so much about success as I do originality."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoZmkYrWivM%2BepZ6cXZeytcPEnqVmmpGnr7OtjKyrq52ZqK6vsIyapZ1lnJaxunnGmp6aZw%3D%3D