Chenoweth was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She graduated from Oklahoma City University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in musical theater and a master's degree in opera performance. She is a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. In 1991, she won the title of "Miss OCU" and went on to win second runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant. She performed at Opryland USA. She won a "most talented up-and-coming singer" award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which came with a full scholarship to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts; she turned down the scholarship when she auditioned and won a part on an off-Broadway show. She also enjoyed watching her boyfriend at the time (professional baseball player Shawn Bryant) pitch.
Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in a production of Molière's Scapin starring Bill Irwin, followed in the spring of 1997 by the unsuccessful musical Steel Pier by John Kander and Fred Ebb, for which she won a Theatre World award. The following season, she appeared in the City Center Encores! production of the George and Ira Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band and the Lincoln Center Theater production of William Finn's A New Brain.
During the 1998–1999 season, she performed the role of Sally in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, sweeping the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards as the season's Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She then starred in the Broadway comedy Epic Proportions, followed by appearances in ABC's television adaptation of the musical Annie (as Lily St. Regis), and in the leading role of Daisy Gamble in the City Center Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
In 2003, Chenoweth performed songs from her album Let Yourself Go in concert for Lincoln Center's 5th American Songbook. She also performed in City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash.
In London, she was involved in Divas at Donmar for director Sam Mendes, then appeared in the Actor's Fund Benefit Concert of the musical Funny Girl in New York City.
Chenoweth was a part of ABC's An American Celebration at Ford's Theater with Kelsey Grammer, NBC's Salute to the Olympic Winners, The Kennedy Center Gala honoring Julie Andrews, and an episode of Frasier on NBC. She also starred as Marian Paroo in the ABC television production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, opposite Matthew Broderick.
In October 2003, Chenoweth returned to Broadway in Wicked, a musical about the early years of the witches of Oz. She was nominated for a Tony as Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Glinda, but lost to co-star Idina Menzel (who played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West).
Chenoweth's role in Wicked also brought the opportunity to co-star in Nora Ephron's 2005 film version of Bewitched. The film's star, Nicole Kidman, had attended a performance of Wicked and was so impressed with Chenoweth's charisma and stage presence that Kidman requested to Ephron that Chenoweth be cast in the film. Chenoweth got the part of Maria Kelly, Kidman's character's friend, neighbor, and personal assistant.
Chenoweth has also performed leading roles at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Guthrie Theatre, and she was chosen by the late Jerome Robbins as the guest soloist in his West Side Story Suite of Dances at New York City Ballet. She also starred in a short-lived semi-biographical sitcom, Kristin, for NBC. It was a mid-season replacement in 2001 that co-starred Jon Tenney, but it was cancelled after only six episodes.
Beginning in the sixth season (2004–2005) of The West Wing, Chenoweth has had a recurring role playing media consultant Annabeth Schott; as of the seventh season she is featured in the opening credits. In 2006, she is scheduled to appear in a remarkable five films including The Pink Panther, R.V., and Stranger Than Fiction. Chenoweth then will star in Asphalt Beach and in a bio-pic of Dusty Springfield.
Chenoweth is a Christian, but was disinvited from a Women of Faith conference in September 2005 because of her positive attitude toward gays and lesbians. She released an album in April 2005 called As I Am that's a mixture of hymns and contemporary Christian music, with arrangements that sound more like adult contemporary.
Chenoweth is 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) tall. She appeared in the March 2006 issue of FHM.
I'm Not That Girl
Kristin Chenoweth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wishing only wounds the heart
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl
The lyrics of the song "I'm Not That Girl" by Kristin Chenoweth portrays a heartbroken woman who is in love with a man who loves another woman. The song starts with "Don't wish, don't start," which means that the singer is warning herself not to wish for something that she cannot have. She goes on to explain that wishing only wounds the heart, most likely because she has likely been in this position before and knows that the pain of yearning for something out of reach can be devastating.
In the following lines, the singer mentions a girl that the man she loves loves. She acknowledges that the man loves the other girl more than her and she knows that she cannot compete with that. The singer understands that she is not the one the man is in love with, and she accepts the reality that they will never be together. It is a moment of realization for her as she accepts her fate and stops wishing for something that is unattainable.
Overall, "I'm Not That Girl" is a song about acceptance and moving on. The lyrics accept the reality of the situation and encourage the singer to focus on herself and find someone who loves her for who she is, rather than trying to change for someone else.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't wish, don't start
It's better to not have any hopes or dreams regarding this matter.
Wishing only wounds the heart
Having unrealistic expectations will only lead to disappointment and pain.
There's a girl I know
I am aware that there is another girl who has caught his attention.
He loves her so
It's obvious that he has strong feelings for her.
I'm not that girl
However, I am not the one he loves and I need to accept that fact.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARAH BUXTON, BOB DI PIERO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind