Jason Gould Returns with New Album After Past Worries of Being 'Compared' to Mom Barbra Streisand (Exclusive)

The musician released his third EP, 'Sacred Days,' on Friday

Music is practically in singer Jason Gould's DNA — his mother is the legendary Barbra Streisand — but he's long moved to his own beat.

"I do music for my own pleasure because I have a need to create and express myself," Gould tells PEOPLE. "The pressure, it's really not there for me. I mean, I strive for excellence, but perfection doesn't exist. I am at peace with that now."

It's a mindset the musician, 57, kept in mind while he recorded his third EP, Sacred Days, out on Friday.

"I'm quite proud of it, so I'm just glad that it's going to be out in the world," he says. "I usually get a little anxiety before something comes out, because it's like your baby. I guess there's that natural fear of being judged. But you know what? I'm really not that insecure anymore about what I create."

Related: All About Barbra Streisand's Son Jason Gould

Gould — the only son of Streisand, 81, and her first husband, actor Elliott Gould, 85 — has come a long way from the reserved child he once was.

"I was kind of a repressed kid; a lot of us shy folks go into the arts to express ourselves," he says. "As a child, I was always a kid who would sit at the keyboard and come up with little melodies, but I never knew how to develop them into a full-fledged song. I would have pieces of melodies. And I never even attempted to write lyrics, until maybe a little over 10 years ago, but it's always been a part of me."

After all, "my mother was recording music when I was in her belly," he adds. "The vibration of music is so powerful."

It wasn't until Gould was 15 that his mom overheard him through the door to his bedroom and knew he could sing.

"It was part of me that I was afraid to explore because my mother was an icon in that world," he recalls. "It was like, 'I don't want to be compared to her,' so I dampened down that part of myself for a long time."

Related: Barbra Streisand's Son Jason Gould Talks New Music and Father Elliott Gould's Role on 'Friends'

The first time he played his song "How Deep Is the Ocean?" for his mother, "I think she was in shock," he recalls. "She said, 'I want to sing this with you.'"

They went on to do just that at the Hollywood Bowl in 2012.

"I didn't know if I was going to pass out," he says. "I had never sung in front of anybody, so going in front of a stadium of 18,000 people was like, 'How am I going to do this?'"

The gig turned out to be a hit — and it remains a fond memory of Gould's.

"It was a very personal moment with her," he says. "It just happened to be in front of 18,000 people. It was really about being of service to her and the music. And it wasn't about me. I was just showing up."

Related: Barbra Streisand Pulls Back the Curtain on Famous Friends, Lasting Love and More in New Memoir (Exclusive)

While the positive reception was “lovely,” he adds, “It didn't give me a thrill or a hit. I've heard people say, 'Oh. I feel the most alive when I'm on stage.' I'm not that guy. I've never felt comfortable in the spotlight, so I always hung out in the shadow. And yet, I need to create and express myself."

"Run" was the first song Gould wrote for his new EP, with his collaborator Allan Rich (the writer of Whitney Houston's 1993 hit "Run to You"). "Once my creative juices get flowing, I tend to create more," he says.

Related: Barbra Streisand's Cutest Family Moments with Her Grandkids

In February, Gould released the music video for his song "World Gone Crazy" from the EP.

"My mom actually hasn't heard most of my new record, but I know she's seen the video for 'World Gone Crazy,' and I know she liked it," he says. "I am not really someone who likes to share, too much. I'm not really looking for the approval of others. I'm looking to please myself."

With the EP, Gould is hoping to pass some of the peace he's found in himself onto others.

"I think a lot of my music is soothing, in some way," he says. "A lot of my own growth and recovery is in the lyrics, too. I hope to bring a little peace."

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