Idina Menzel Talks Back: ‘Frozen’ Singer Defends Herself Against Critics Of Her New Year’s Eve Performance
Idina Menzel performed what is now her signature tune, “Let It Go” from Frozen, at Dick Clark’s New Years’ Rockin Eve last Wednesday. According to many, it did not go well. Amateur critics took to Twitter, complaining she failed to hit a high note, the climatic moment at the end of the song.
Now, Menzel has responded – by saying nothing. She took the torn-out page of an interview she did with Southwest magazine and posted a photo of it on Twitter. The blurb is Menzel’s definition of success, and it says a lot about what it means to make it as a performer — and it isn’t all about the high notes.
“There are about ?3 million notes in a two-and-a-half-hour musical; being a perfectionist, it took me a long time ?to realize that if I’m hitting 75 percent of them, ?I’m succeeding. Performing isn’t only about? the acrobatics and the high notes: It’s staying in the moment, connecting with the audience ?in an authentic way, and making yourself ?real to them through the music. I am more than the notes I hit, and that’s how I try to approach my life. You can’t get it all right all the time, but ?you can try your best. If you’ve done that, all ?that’s left is to accept your shortcomings and have ?the courage to try to overcome them.”
This is something I said in an interview a few months ago. pic.twitter.com/J63wLZJHnp
— Idina Menzel (@idinamenzel) January 2, 2015
Just Jared called the criticism “unjust” as Menzel was performing in below-freezing temperatures on New Year’s Eve and is currently performing eight shows a week on Broadway. The effect of the cold was noted by several Twitter commentators, who made ironic reference to the lyrics of “Let It Go.”
Idina Menzel Defends Her New Year’s Eve Performance: The cold never bothered her anyway. http://t.co/f5l2nVIeka
— Florelala (@Florelala) January 3, 2015
#Frozen here in #TimesSquare? The cold never bothered us anyway – especially when @idinamenzel performs! pic.twitter.com/z1hpfAy5zr
— Times Square (@TimesSquareNYC) January 1, 2015
Just Jared revealed that Menzel also performed “Let It Go” for Japan’s NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen special earlier the same day. Although Jared said the Japan performance “wasn’t perfect,” she hit the high note at the end.
Idina Menzel fans will remember she nailed the performance of “Let It Go” at last year’s Academy Awards ceremony, despite the fact that John Travolta introduced her as “Adele Dazeem.”
[Idina Menzel photo: Peter Kramer NBCNewsWire/Getty Images via TIME]
