The Voice of the Century Returns: Barbra Streisand Named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025
The announcement sent a ripple of electric anticipation through the gathered crowd, followed immediately by a wave of applause that felt less like a formality and more like a spiritual acknowledgment. When the editors of TIME Magazine revealed their list for the “100 Most Influential People of 2025,” one name stood out not for its novelty, but for its enduring, monolithic power: Barbra Streisand. For the first time in a decade, the EGOT-winning legend has returned to this prestigious roster, proving that at this stage in her unparalleled career, she is not merely surviving the changing tides of culture, but actively steering them. The standing ovation that accompanied the news was a recognition that while trends fade and stars burn out, true legends only grow brighter with time.
This recognition by TIME Magazine marks a pivotal moment, affirming that Barbra Streisand’s influence is not a relic of the past, but a vibrant, necessary force in the present. It is rare for an artist to remain on the cutting edge of influence six decades into their career, yet Streisand has achieved exactly that. The 2025 list does not honor her simply for the nostalgia of her golden voice or the glamour of her early years. Instead, it recognizes a woman who has evolved into a cultural conscience. In a year defined by political shifts and artistic upheaval, Streisand has remained a steadfast beacon of truth, using her platform to champion democracy, environmental justice, and human rights. She has proven that influence is not about how many followers you have on social media, but about what you do with the attention once you have captured it.
More than just a celebrity, Streisand is honored as the ultimate polymath who redefined the architecture of stardom through voice, vision, and unyielding perfectionism. The acronym EGOT—Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony—feels insufficient to describe the breadth of her dominance. She did not just conquer these fields; she synthesized them. TIME’s citation highlights how she deconstructed the boundaries between Broadway, Hollywood, and the recording studio. In an era where artists are often pigeonholed, Streisand’s career serves as the blueprint for the modern multimedia mogul. She reminded the world that a singer could be an actor, an actor could be a director, and a superstar could be an activist, all without diluting the quality of the work. Her presence remains powerful, cinematic, and relentlessly authentic, a standard against which all other performers are inevitably measured.
Central to this specific honor is her groundbreaking legacy as a director, a role in which she shattered glass ceilings long before the industry was ready to accept female leadership.1 The magazine pays special tribute to her work behind the camera, acknowledging that she was fighting for control and credit in an era when women were expected to just look pretty and hit their marks. By taking the helm of films like Yentl and The Prince of Tides, she asserted that a woman’s vision is valid, authoritative, and commercially viable.2 This aspect of her influence is perhaps the most potent in 2025, as a new generation of female filmmakers stands on the shoulders of her resilience. She taught the industry that a woman can, and should, lead from the director’s chair, and that artistic integrity is worth fighting for, no matter the critics.
