Barbra Streisand Hits No. 1, Beating Music's Hottest Modern Stars

Forbes

13 hours ago

Barbra Streisand and Laufey's duet 'Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self' hits No. 1 on iTunes, beating out ... More Sabrina Carpenter and Ed Sheeran. Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (Photo by �� John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
It's a busy Friday on iTunes as another tracking period begins in the global music industry. This week, several superstars release new singles, including modern-day chart-toppers like Sabrina Carpenter and Ed Sheeran. But on this Friday (June 6), it's a legend who rises to the top spot and scores a bestselling hit, beating even the hottest newcomers in the business.
Barbra Streisand reaches No. 1 on the iTunes Top Songs chart in the United States with her new track "Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self." The tune is a collaboration with jazz and traditional pop musician Laufey, who seems to be following in Streisand's footsteps by introducing younger audiences to the sounds of the past.
The tune is taken from Streisand's upcoming album The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2. The full-length, which is expected on June 27, sees the singer and actress teaming up with musicians from across genres for spectacular duets. Names like Ariana Grande, James Taylor, Sam Smith, Bob Dylan, and even Paul McCartney are all included on the project.
Streisand leads a packed top 10, as all 10 of the bestselling tracks on the iTunes Top Songs chart are brand new. "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter spent time at No. 1 early in the day on Friday, but the hours passed, Streisand was able to push past her.
The next half-dozen spaces all belong to the Backstreet Boys, as the boy band's past hits — "I Want It That Way," "Larger Than Life," "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely," "Don't Want to Lose You Now," "The One," and "It's Gotta Be You" — appear at Nos. 3 through 8, respectively. The group's album Millennium is also surging ahead of its anniversary re-release later this summer.
Not far behind that Grammy-nominated troupe are the latest releases by Mariah Carey and Ed Sheeran. The elusive chanteuse dropped "Type Dangerous" on Friday, and it currently lands at No. 9, just ahead of "Sapphire," the latest cut from Sheeran's upcoming album Play, which is expected to arrive later this year.