Professionally trained as a classical singer from age eight, Menzel decided to pursue other genres, specifically R&B and jazz, when she entered high school. Upon becoming a wedding singer, Menzel was eventually exposed to a wide variety of genres, ranging from jazz and to Motown. Her set lists tend to incorporate an eclectic combination of original songs and covers of pop, rock and musical theatre material, as well as popular stage and film songs. Jay Handelman of the "Sarasota Herald-Tribune" opined that Menzel's choice of songs "reinforce her own offbeat personality." Menzel often opts to perform barefoot in her solo concerts, which has become a trademark of her live performances. On her stage stage presence, "The Denver Post" critic Ray Mark Rinaldi wrote that Menzel delivers "the kind of self-assurance that can only come from beating out Kristen Chenoweth for a Tony. She comes out on stage, dressed like she doesn’t care, acting a little dizzy, but knowing all along she’s gonna hit the right notes." Menzel's vocal style has drawn comparisons to singer and actress Barbra Streisand, whose song "Don't Rain on My Parade" Menzel often performs and covered in tribute to her at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors. Menzel said she had long aspired to have a career as successful as Streisand to whose Jewish upbringing Menzel has also been compared, with fans deeming her "the next big Jewish icon in music". Similar comparisons have been drawn between Menzel and Bette Midler. Menzel was particularly inspired by Streisand's performance in the film "A Star is Born" (1976).