2025 Grammys: Will Barbra Streisand (‘My Name Is Barbra’) Triumph at the Grammys for the First Time Since 1987?

Among the most recognized talents in all of entertainment history is an unimpeachable legend – the iconic Barbra Streisand.

Her many accolades include two Oscars (in Best Actress for Funny Girl and Best Original Song for A Star Is Born’s “Evergreen”), four Primetime Emmys (for her television specials My Name Is Barbra, Barbra Streisand: The Concert and Timeless: Live in Concert) and an honorary Tony as Star of the Decade.

Over the past seven decades, Streisand has especially proven a mainstay at the Grammys, scoring eight competitive prizes – one in Album of the Year (for The Barbra Streisand Album), one in Song of the Year (for “Evergreen”), one in Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for “Guilty,” alongside Barry Gibb) and five in Best Female Vocal Performance (for The Barbra Streisand Album, People, My Name Is Barbra, “Evergreen” and The Broadway Album). She is also the recipient of two honorary prizes – the Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Remarkably, it has been nearly four decades since Streisand last scored a competitive Grammy, for The Broadway Album in 1987. That isn’t to say she’s been absent from the awards. In fact, Streisand has since gone 0-for-19 at the Grammys, with the bulk of her bids (13) arriving in Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (previously known as Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance), a category she has somehow never won.

This year, with her 47^th career Grammy nomination, this time for narrating her acclaimed memoir, My Name Is Barbra, Streisand has the opportunity to finally break this cold streak. Is a ninth career win on the horizon? Let’s dive into the race for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording, a category previously known as Best Spoken Word Album.

It’s a lineup of fellow legends and Grammy favorites. At 100 years old, former President Jimmy Carter has made his 10^th appearance in this category, this time with Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. Iconic funk musician George Clinton is here with his 2024 audiobook, …And Your Ass Will Follow, as is the incomparable Dolly Parton with the reading of her latest book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones. Rounding out the category is producer Guy Oldfield, nominated for All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words, an oral history of The Beatles that includes never-before-heard interviews with the band, their families, and figures in their inner circle.

If there’s a slight favorite in the field, it may be Carter who, with three wins over 10 nominations (the most bids of any person, tied with Sir John Gielgud), has proven a constant presence in this category. Political figures have a history of faring well here, with the likes of Michelle Obama (twice a winner), Barack Obama (also twice), Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Jesse Jackson also prevailing. That this year marks Carter’s 100^th birthday – and destined to be his final Grammy appearance – may make him all the tougher to beat.

If voters are inclined to award the most overdue contender, it could be Clinton who triumphs. Remarkably, while he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, the Parliament-Funkadelic legend has never scored a competitive Grammy over his storied career. On the flip side, there’s Parton, one of the most celebrated musicians in Grammy history, with 10 wins over 55 nominations – three victories of which arrived in just the past decade.

Alas, there is a hurdle Clinton, Parton and perhaps Streisand too will face – musicians rarely prevail in this particular category. The most recent musician to triumph was Janis Ian, more than a decade ago in 2013, and before her was Quincy Jones, all the way back in 2002. That isn’t to say these contenders have no hope – historically, however, musicians don’t have the most powerful track record for spoken word albums.

If there’s an underdog in the field, it’s likely Oldfield. While All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words received great acclaim – and this nomination is timely, given The Beatles “Now and Then” this year surfacing in Record of the Year – audiobooks of this nature, narrated by over a dozen various artists, with the producer(s) being the nominee, are often nominated but rarely prevail. The last person to win this category as a producer and not narrator was Mike Berniker in 1986 for the Broadway cast recording of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Then there’s Streisand. Among the most anticipated celebrity memoirs of all time, My Name Is Barbra was an instant best-seller and scored rave reviews. At more than 48 hours in length, it towers over the rest of the field, with All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words coming closest, at just under 10 hours. And while musicians have rarely triumphed in this category, actors have a far stronger track record, with the likes of Viola Davis, Don Cheadle, Carol Burnett, and Betty White winning in recent years.

If voters recognize Streisand’s lengthy losing track, there could be urgency to finally award her again. On the other hand, it’s possible these 19 straight losses have come about due to sentiment that Streisand has been honored enough. If that’s the case, the streak may continue.

In the end, this feels like a plenty competitive race, with Carter as a soft front-runner and Streisand perhaps most within striking distance. Carter triumphed on his last two bids and the love for him is sure to be strong on the occasion of his 100^th birthday. But Streisand is also a beloved figure who comes into this race with a juggernaut of a memoir and jaw-dropping cold streak. Only mastering engineer Chris Gehringer, a 21-time nominee without a win, has a longer losing streak.

Whichever way the race shakes out, it will be hard to knock the winner, whether it be Carter, Streisand or one of their highly worthy competitors.