“I was pretty terrified”: The only singer Paul McCartney was intimidated by
The list of names that Paul McCartney has worked with would bring a tear to the eye of any music fan from any genre.
As one of the most beloved, respected and famous figures in music, the former Beatle surely has the freedom to choose from the entire industry, able to call on and collaborate with anyone he wishes. And who would deny him? No matter who you are or what position you’re in your career, surely, absolutely any musician who got a phone call from McCartney would drop absolutely everything and be there.
That is especially true when it comes to younger artists. McCartney has become a model for how globally famous musicians can champion the next generation, inviting names like Phoebe Bridgers and Khruangbin to feature on his most recent record. He has also openly praised artists such as Taylor Swift and collaborated with figures like Rihanna, proving he remains fully engaged with the music world as it continues to evolve.
The response each and every time, for a good majority of his career now, is that the artists he worked with truly cannot believe they got the opportunity. They’re always the ones freaking out about him, as every day since the dawn of Beatlemania, McCartney has existed as one of music’s top names – perhaps even the number one top name as one of the few living legends left.
But in one instance, despite his reputation, McCartney was the one losing his mind as he walked into the studio to work on a collaboration. More so than Stevie Wonder and more so than Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney was terrified to be working with Barbra Streisand.
The line between being starstruck and being scared is thin. Despite his own reputation built over the years, when he went to collaborate with Steisand in 2025 for her album The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, McCartney was more than aware of her, both as a famed talent and also a perfectionist who demanded greatness.
“I did the session with her in LA and I was pretty terrified,” he admitted. He’s used to big productions, but this one was huge as he explained, “I think the session was about three hours, you know, a normal kind of session, and it was produced by my friend Peter Asher,” expecting to walk into something calm and familiar. But in reality, it was grand as he said, “But it started off with a big 40-piece orchestra on the Sony lot… and we were on ‘The Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage’, so no pressure there!”
Suddenly confronted with the full scale of Streisand’s power in the industry, McCartney was nervous. Despite all his years of fame, all his experiences, and all the other times he pulled himself together and worked alongside a huge name, this one shook him.
Maybe it was Streisand’s reputation of being tough, or maybe it was simply the fear of singing alongside a noted vocal talent approved and beloved by Broadway. Streisand is more than just a singer, and she definitely doesn’t work like the other rock stars McCartney was used to, so as he hit the Scoring Stage, the fear was ripe.
