Idina Menzel [ tickets ] is best known on stage as Maureen, the bisexual artist in "Rent," or as the green-hued outcast witch in "Wicked." But now she's working to cross over into the pop realm with her debut album, "I Stand," produced/co-written by Glen Ballard, who pushed Alanis Morissette into the spotlight.

Menzel currently is touring in support of the album, and she says life couldn't be any better.

"It's something I've always wanted to do: Go on tour for the summer, have a bus, perform my own music, and it's really exciting for me," Menzel said via telephone from Milwaukee.

"It's going better than I expected. There are more people showing up. So, that's great. I'm going to towns where I wouldn't expect they would know of me, and having really good turnouts."

"I Stand" is a collection of stories about life's challenges and love. Working on the album proved to be a soul-searching exercise for Menzel.

"It was an album where I found that I was really searching for who I am at this point in time and what I want to contribute to the world, what I want to change about myself," Menzel said. "I was also recognizing where I am at this point in time."

While on tour, she has found that others have asked the same questions of themselves. Fans have also confided in her about their trying times, relating to her song "Brave," the album's first single.

"I was going through some personal stuff and I went into Glen's studio that day," said Menzel, who starred in the films "Rent" and "Enchanted." "We were supposed to write an upbeat song; I guess I wasn't feeling in an upbeat mood. I just was sitting at the piano and fumbling around and I came up with this chord progression. He usually just sticks a microphone in your face to record everything that's going on. That's what came out that day.

"The nicest thing about being out on tour is being able to meet a lot of the fans in person. I find that the biggest gift I've received so far on tour is that people really talk to me about how 'Brave' has connected with them. They have been telling me some really personal, intimate stories about their lives. I never imagined that a song would take on such a larger life than what I was experiencing. These people are going through some really powerful stuff and the song has touched them and connected with them in a way. I get to hear it from their mouth. It's a real gift for a songwriter."

Another true gift for Menzel comes when her husband, actor Taye Diggs, visits her on tour. The last time he visited her, the couple spent time in North Carolina, where they saw the Batman film "The Dark Knight." The next time she sees Diggs is when she returns to Los Angeles later this month.

"Then we should have the rest of August together and then we'll be traveling again," said Menzel, who is taking a break from films and stage. "We're handling it pretty well. We speak to each other every day and make sure that we really feel like the other person holds one in their hearts even when we're away. It's very important to feel like you are being missed, no matter how crazy your lives are."