Idina Menzel speaks ahead of Birmingham gig

When the veteran of Broadway musicals performed Let It Go at the 2014 Oscars, her public life was at an all time peak – but her private life was in ruins.

“It was such a strange dichotomy. There was this thing of having worked so hard my whole life and finally having this huge song. To be at the Oscars, and to have all the glamour of that. . .

“And then to come home and have to go to mediation with my ex, figuring out which days he was visiting our son and where we were going, and the sadness, and the regret. It was. I mean, it was rich. It was rich, it was full.

“I’ll always be hard on myself I guess. I want to do the right thing by my son, and that means balancing my work and my quality time with him. I know he needs to grow up seeing a really happy, confident mother, then he’ll be drawn to those kinds of women.”

Idina has been described as having a ‘tear-down-the-house voice and commanding personality. . .’ by Variety magazine.

And after releasing her fifth solo studio album ‘idina’ last autumn, the Tony Award-winning superstar is returning to the UK as part of her 2017 World Tour. The six-date tour includes a major London show at the Royal Albert Hall on June 15th and also features a headline gig on Monday at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.

Idina has captivated audiences at sell-out concerts around the world with her irresistible charm, wit and unparalleled vocal prowess. Throughout the tour, Idina will lead audiences through a special journey of songs from ‘idina’ as well as other classic pop, musical theatre favorites and her own personal catalogue.

The Tony Award-winning Idina Menzel has a diverse career that traverses stage, film, television and music. Idina’s voice can be heard as Elsa in Disney’s global box office smash ‘Frozen’, in which she sings the film’s Oscar-winning song ‘Let It Go’ and in the follow up short, ‘Frozen Fever’.

After Idina’s performance of the multi-platinum song at the 86th annual Academy Awards, she made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting. Idina capped 2016 with the release of her fifth original solo studio album ‘idina.’

Idina earned her first Tony nomination as Maureen in the Pulitzer Prize winner ‘Rent’, and won the award for her performance as Elphaba in ‘Wicked’. Other notable roles include Shelby Corcoran on the hit television show ‘Glee’ as well as starring opposite Susan Sarandon and Amy Adams in Disney’s ‘Enchanted’. Idina also performed the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015, which was the most-watched television program in U.S. history.

In addition to cast albums, Idina’s prolific recording career includes the solo albums ‘idina.’, ‘I Stand’, ‘Here’ and ‘Still I Can’t Be Still’ as well as her first-ever Christmas album ‘Holiday Wishes’ and the live album ‘Barefoot: Live At The Symphony’. Idina’s most recent Broadway role as ‘Elizabeth’ in the original production ‘If/Then’ earned her critical acclaim and her third Tony nomination.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it is her career that gives her confidence.

“My career is what makes me feel confident.

“To feel self-sufficient and like I don’t need a man to support me and all that kind of stuff makes me feel good about myself. It’s just, you know. . .

“Everyone talks about me being a role model for young girls and that’s not always the truth in my day-to-day personal life. I’m not constantly practising what I preach.

“I’m a little uncomfortable carrying that banner. I’m not always ‘Oh, I feel so great about myself today. I’m a powerful, confident woman, and I’m not going to care what anyone else thinks of me!’

“I mean it’s all rubbish really. I can be a mess. The older I get, I get wiser about some things, and yet I get more fragile and vulnerable about others.”

Idina’s solo records give her the opportunity to strike out. She finds catharsis in singing out the problems in her life – it’s a form of therapy. “I don’t know if it’s breaking out. It’s just me. It’s a new beginning. It’s an album where I explore a lot of things that have been going on in my life. It’s been a turbulent couple of years, with some great stuff and not so great stuff, so a lot of people will feel like they get to know me on a first-name basis.”

Idina is looking forward to her forthcoming tour. She enjoys engaging with fans and hopes to make strong connections when she’s on the road.

“I kind of thrive and vibe off the connection with the audience. Maybe it’s because I do eight shows a week in theatre and I thirst for that little thing that changes it up from day to day. I’m not afraid of that. If somebody calls out in a lovingly heckling voice, I’m like, ‘OK, what did you say?’ I want to talk about it.

“The other night, the band started playing ‘Brick House’ because I thought somebody said, ‘You look like a brick house’. I don’t know what they said. It was: ‘You look beautiful’ or something. But I had my ear monitors in. I said, ‘What? I look like a brick house?’ And the next thing you know, we’re playing Brick House.”