Idina Menzel

That’s not to say the Long Island native shies away from talking about that period in her life.

“My parents got divorced when I was 16 and I got a job so I could help out, pitch in,” Menzel explains. “It taught me a lot about music—I had to know Motown, jazz, even the latest pop songs from people like Madonna and Whitney Houston.”

The 36-year-old actress, singer and songwriter admits it wasn’t all fun and games, though.

“As the years went by it definitely lost a bit of its luster,” she says with a chuckle. “I became frustrated—I wanted to sing my own music and move on to something else. So, depending on what video you pull up from that period in my life, you’ll either see a really impassioned wedding singer or a really disgruntled one.” 

Menzel no longer feels frustrated—in fact, she feels just the opposite. That’s because her third album, I Stand, is hitting store shelves on Jan. 29.

GayWired.com: Your album will be out any day now. What thoughts are going through your head?

Idina Menzel: I’m excited and scared at the same time. I spent a year and a half working on this album and now it’s kind of out of my control. I’m just trying to take it in stride and enjoy the moment.

GW: How does a situation like this compare to the opening night of Rent or  Wicked?

IM: Well, thankfully it’s not like an opening, where it all amounts to how you do during that first week.

Another way it’s not like theater is that it’s not so dependent on reviews. I’m not saying reviews aren’t important in the music world, but music speaks to people in so many different ways and an artist can find an audience regardless of what the critics say.

That’s what I’m hoping for: to find an audience in addition to the one I already have that can connect to my music.  

GW: You mentioned that you’ve been working on this album for some time. How did Glen Ballard get involved, and what was it like to work with him?

IM: I’ve always wanted to work with Glen—I think he’s an extraordinary songwriter and producer. I’ve always respected him and how he works with other artists.

So, I put him on my wish list and asked the label if they could help make it happen. They set up a meeting, I sat down with him for a bit and we really hit it off.

What I loved most about him was that he wasn’t at all thrown by my versatility. He loved it, actually. He loved that I had been a wedding singer, that I came from the theater, that I’m both trained and untrained. He was inspired by that rather than intimidated.

He helped me figure out what an Idina Menzel album would sound like at this point in my life. It feels so authentic to me—I’m using all the parts of my voice, and I’m being as expressive as I would be in the theater without losing the integrity required of a pop album. 

In the past, people have wanted me to pigeonhole myself to make things easier. Glen, on the other hand, was excited about what I brought to the table.

GM: Speaking of bringing stuff to the table—you co-wrote all nine tracks on the album. What inspired you? Where did you get your ideas?

IM: Like any good artist, I know how to blow things out of proportion or over-dramatize something for the sake of a song (laughs). A little argument I have with my husband (actor Taye Diggs) may be turned into a gut-wrenching song about heartbreak. 

I often start with something that feels real to me and then it morphs into something completely different. For example, the song ‘Gorgeous’ started out being about my husband and all of the thing an interracial couple have to endure, but eventually I realized it was about a friend of mine who’s gay and fell in love with an incredible man in Rotterdam and how if he lived there life would be so much easier for them than it is here. 

That’s what I love about writing songs, though—they can take on a bigger story than just your own. They can mean different things to different people. 

GW: You obviously have a huge built-in fan base thanks to your work in theater. Do you think they’ll be surprised by what’s on the album? 

IM: I don’t think so. I really thought it was important to use my voice in all capacities. I didn’t want to be afraid to sing out, to use my range or show my emotions. I’m so accustomed to doing that in the theater, and I didn’t want to have to suppress that just because I’m singing pop songs.

I looked at Annie Lennox as an example. I see her as an incredibly soulful singer who infuses her music with a lot of drama and theatricality and yet still has credibility as a pop/rock songwriter. 

I don’t think the people who already know me will be thrown by what they hear on the album—they’ll just be hearing me sing my own words for a change. And I won’t be hidden behind green makeup!

GW: I’ve read that you’ve always been inspired by entertainers like Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand—triple threats who found success on stage, in film and as recording artists. Is that your goal, too? 

IM: There aren’t many entertainers like that any more, that’s for sure. It’s been a long time since anyone has crossed over from the stage. It feels like things are changing, though. I certainly hope there’s a place for me, and that the environment has become flexible enough that people will accept that artists can express themselves in different ways.

GW: Do you ever look back and think about how far you’ve come?

IM: Yeah, I do. I just went to my cousin’s wedding, in fact, and it really made me think back to when I was a wedding singer. There was a time when I didn’t think I’d ever move on to anything else. All of the sudden, though, I found myself auditioning for this ‘weird’ show called Rent and everything changed.

Check out Idina Menzel's website at www.idinamenzel.com.