Idina Menzel Treated to Surprise 'Let It Go' Performance at Billboard Women in Music Awards

Idina Menzel was among the honorees at the 2014 Billboard Women in Music Awards, handed out today at a lunchtime event in New York City. The IF/THEN star was honored with the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award, a brand new honor added to the ceremony now in its ninth year.

Today host Savannah Guthrie was on board to give Menzel her award and had a little surprise as she spoke about the Tony Award winner's summer musical theater camp A BroaderWay which helps kids "find their own voices." "Idina loves these girls," Guthrie explained. "It turns out Idina doesn't just have the voice of an angel, she has the heart of one, too."

At that point, Guthrie and Menzel were joined onstage by members of A BroaderWay Choir who sang a "Defying Gravity/Let it Go," mashup. "I wasn't prepared for that!," an emotional Menzel commented following the performance. "If you ever need to be reminded of taking risk, just spend a little time with these wonderful women who come out of this city into the country and escape from their everyday life. They're my inspiration. Thank you."

She went on to thank her team who has stuck by her throughout her career. "Everybody at my table, they've been with me for so many years, when the phone wasn't ringing. [My team] stuck by me and believed in me....I've been around!"

The 43 year old continued, "I got to thinking about something my mom said to me, 'You're not really going to make it 'til you build a thicker skin. The universe won't give it to you until you're ready.' [I'm always] told a Broadway singer can't cross over....'Who are you? Who are you?' [everyone wants to know]. And the answer is....I don't know! I know I'm a cool chick, hard worker, good mom, pretty talented singer. It has taken me this long to realize that if you're easily able to categorize yourself you're probably [shaping into] someone else's opinion of you!"

Menzel currently stars in the new original Broadway musical IF/THEN. Her all-new Christmas album Holiday Wishes, which dropped earlier this year, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Holiday Albums chart.

Source: Billboard.com