Actor Jason Gould finally unpacks his Streisand musical DNA
Many have been blessed with musical DNA, but to have been on the West End stage before you were born surely suggests rhythm runs through your veins.
Shortly after hit musical Funny Girl opened in London in 1966, the show’s star, Barbra Streisand, announced she was pregnant with her first child – Jason Gould.
After an acclaimed run, Streisand gave birth later that year.
Gould grew up immersed in the arts, as his mother continued to record dozens of albums and star in a plethora of film and TV projects, while his father, actor Elliott Gould, appeared in everything from 1970 dark comedy M*A*S*H to classic US sitcom Friends.
Gould followed in their footsteps, with his first role alongside his mother in the 1972 film Up The Sandbox, before attending acting school.
After years on the silver
“I love to make music but I don’t really like to be in the spotlight. So I’m a weirdo, I guess.”
screen, in films including Listen To Me and The Prince of Tides, he only began branching out into the world of music later in life, and says his mother did not even know he could sing.
“I never thought I would sing in front of anybody up until I was probably in my early 40s,” says Los Angeles-based Gould.
After hearing him, Streisand asked him to join her on tour.
“I had never sung in front of anybody so it was an incredibly daunting task to go from nothing to a stadium of 18,000 people,” he admits.
“I love to make music but I don’t really like to be in the spotlight. So I’m a weirdo, I guess.”
After taking a leap of faith in himself, he released his first selftitled EP in 2012, and followed it up in 2017 with his debut album, Dangerous Man.
The 12-track record featured a range of original songs and jazz standards, and highlighted his sweeping vocals and ability to pack a punch with the big notes.
Now, with a few more years under his belt in the industry, Gould is moving his sound to new places for his latest EP.
“I was interested in exploring dance music, more rhythmic music, more contemporary vibe,” he says.
“I think I’ve also gained more confidence now and I feel freer to just explore whatever appeals to me. I just follow my instincts.”
“I’m not afraid to expose my humanity because I know all these feelings, we all have them,” he continues.
“I guess that’s an artist’s job, right? Is to feel, to experience the world and then offer it out again for the masses.”