Watch Ariana Grande And Barbra Streisand Belt Their Hearts Out

Barbra Streisand and Ariana Grande performed at Streisand’s Chicago concert on August 6 Image by Getty Images

By Jenny Singer August 8, 2019

Like the moon and the sun, the boundless sky and the deep blue sea, like a shimmering blonde blowout and a gigantic ponytail, Barbra Streisand and Ariana Grande, two queens of entertainment, have met at last.

The 77 year-old Jewish singer and cultural icon performed at Chicago’s United Center on Tuesday night, a one-night-only spectacular featuring chintzy robes and a voice like the feeling of when you stick your finger in a fountain.

In a surprise moment at Streisand’s packed concert, sylph-like pop superstar Ariana Grande appeared on stage in a Streisand-style drapey black suit and what appeared to be an entire horse’s tail stapled to her head.

As the crowd roared, the women showcased their tremendous vocal virtuosity on Streisand’s 1979 hit “No More Tears (Enough is Enough).” The disco-hit was originally a duet between Streisand and Donna Summer, but the lyrics — “I’ve always dreamed I found the perfect lover/But he turned out to be like every other man” — will be familiar to fans of Grande’s latest album, which references each of her ex-boyfriends by name. Grande even has a hit called “No Tears Left To Cry.”

The 26-year-old — who is not Jewish, but started as a performer on the Bar and Bat Mitzvah circuit — revealed her fandom for Babs, the diva on whose shoulders Grande certainly perches. “Shaking and crying,” Grande tweeted, just after getting offstage. “Cherishing this moment forever,” she added later, sharing a picture of herself and Streisand, probably laughing at how bad other people are at singing.

Streisand is the only artist ever to win Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Directors Guild, Golden Globe, and the National Medal of Arts awards, and to be honored by France’s Legion d’Honneur, Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ariana Grande has topped charts, pushed conversations about the evolving definition of feminism, become the most-followed woman on Instagram, and brought back the kippah clip.

Next time, make the duet Grande’s hit, “God Is A Woman.” When all is said and done by Babs and Ari, trust us — you’ll believe God is a woman.

Jenny Singer is the deputy life/features editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

Jenny Singer is a freelance writer with pieces in Vox, the Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Teen Vogue, and more. She was previously a staff writer at Glamour and the Forward, and she’s currently getting an MFA in nonfiction writing at the University of Iowa.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO