Barbra Streisand Not Afraid to "Turn a Lot of People Off" With Anti-Trump Album

In a new interview, the singer discussed getting political on her forthcoming album 'Walls' and her views on the new 'A Star Is Born' film.

As its name suggests, Barbra Streisand's new album Walls will address the openly Democratic singer's opposition to President Donald Trump head-on. In a new interview with The New York Times, Streisand said that she "probably will turn a lot of people off" with the choice.

"Truth has always worked for me, so to see the truth defiled every day is very, very painful for me. I only can do what I can do. I probably will turn a lot of people off," the singer said. "I can only be true to me as an artist and if people like it that’s great, and if they don’t, they don’t have to buy it or listen to it. But me in real life is more important than me as the artist. As a citizen, that’s the role."

One song from the album, due out Friday, has already been released: "Don't Lie to Me" directly addresses Trump and falsehoods, while the Times reports that the album's title track, "Walls," warns against building the aforementioned edifices "where they shouldn't be."

Early in the interview, Streisand discusses what sparked her to address politics in her latest album after steering clear of them for the majority of her career: "I would lie awake at night with Trump’s outrages running through my head, and I had to do another album for Columbia Records, so I thought, why not make an album about what’s on my mind? And that became the title of the first song," she said.

When asked how she felt about offending Trump fans who like her music, Streisand responded that it "doesn't matter." She added that at a recent concert, she asked the audience who were Republicans and several people raised their hands, leading her to conclude that art "transcends" political division.

The singer additionally couldn't come up with anything "good" Trump has done while in office when asked, but in her response to a later question, Streisand said, "You asked me what I think he’s good at? He’s good at marketing." She added that his example of leadership makes her fearful for future generations.

Also during the interview, Streisand expressed her feelings that former Sen. Al Franken should not have resigned from the Senate amid sexual misconduct claims. "I’m dismayed and I think he was right when he said at the beginning, I’ll resign when Trump resigns, for somebody, too, who has been accused of assaulting at least three women and he’s the president of the United States," she said.

The former star of 1976's A Star Is Born additionally addressed her views on the new film. "I was surprised by how similar it was to my version. I loved how he used the drag bar. I thought that was new and interesting," Streisand said. "What I’ve seen of the film I really liked."