{"id":2381381,"date":"2026-04-20T14:46:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2381381"},"modified":"2026-04-20T14:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:46:17","slug":"melissa-etheridge-on-love-and-loss-new-music-and-chris-stapleton-im-so-grateful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/melissa-etheridge-on-love-and-loss-new-music-and-chris-stapleton-im-so-grateful\/","title":{"rendered":"Melissa Etheridge on love and loss, new music and Chris Stapleton: \u2018I\u2019m so grateful\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\"><!----><!----><\/p>\n<figure\/><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a standard greeting, one offered more as a casual informality than a serious inquiry. The replies are usually just as perfunctory, even if they aren\u2019t fully reflective of one\u2019s actual demeanor: \u201cGood,\u201d \u201cFine\u201d and the more graciously amended, \u201cFine, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>When a phone conversation commenced last week with Melissa Etheridge, the first words out of my mouth fell right in line with this ritual.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi, Melissa. How are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Without a beat, the double Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, activist and rock \u2018n\u2019 champion delivered a reply as if fireworks were exploding.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m fan-tastic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Such immediacy and jubilance are career trademarks for Etheridge. In the 38 years since the release of her self-titled debut album, she has come to define resilience, strength and joy in the world of modern rock.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<figure class=\"photo-inline-\">\n<div class=\"img-container picture \">                        <figcaption>                                            Melissa Etheridge will be at the Norton Center in Danville. She has a new album, \u201cRise,\u201d that includes a song co-written and performed with Kentucky musician Chris Stapleton.                                                                                            Candice Lawler                                                                                    <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>She has ridden the waves of extraordinary commercial success with such rock-soul infused \u201990s hits as \u201cCome to My Window,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m the Only One\u201d and \u201cI Want to Come Over.\u201d With that came activist roles for LGBTQ+ rights, environmental issues and numerous other causes. Capping it all have been avenues for expressing her music and life story that have led Etheridge far outside conventional rock touring circuits \u2014 specifically, The New York Times Best Sellers list (for three books, not recordings) as well as Broadway (the 2023 run of her autobiographical music and storytelling show \u201cMy Window.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But the hard times woven between those triumphs have been brutal. Etheridge, during the numerous heights of her career, has confronted breast cancer, a high-profile domestic split that triggered a lengthy child custody battle and the opioid-related death of her son Beckett.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLife has happened to me, yeah,\u201d said Etheridge, who returns to Central Kentucky for an April 22 concert at the Norton Center for the Arts in Danville. \u201cBut you\u2019re going to find me one of the most grateful people on earth. I\u2019m so grateful, I\u2019m so alive because of all of that has happened. I truly believe that what doesn\u2019t kill you makes you stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Melissa Etheridge - Bein&#039; Alive (Official)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZwhE5CjVBkQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It seems natural, then, that Etheridge\u2019s newly released 17th studio album is titled \u201cRise.\u201d It abounds with the rockish fortification that has long surrounded her best music. The record lands a few electric jabs to remind you of her tireless rock \u2018n\u2019 spirit, simmers for slices of more personal reflection and offers a sense of almost anthemic renewal.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re gonna fall to the earth sometimes,\u201d Etheridge sings in the title song to \u201cRise.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re gonna taste the dirt sometimes. Then you\u2019re gonna rise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI made an effort with this record to say, \u2018I\u2019m just going to concentrate solely on the songs.\u2019 I want these songs to be singable for people. I want them to convey emotions of loss and love and hope and passion and desire and inspiration. My intention was so direct and so understanding in that what I do is write these songs, record them and then perform them for the rest of my life. I wanted to write songs that could stand there next to \u2018Come to My Window,\u2019 that could entertain and inspire like my older songs did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Melissa Etheridge - Rise (Lyric Video) (Official)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Km8P4xhPRn0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Etheridge\u2019s chief compadre in assembling the \u201cRise\u201d album was Shooter Jennings. The son of outlaw country maverick Waylon Jennings, Shooter has become, in addition to making his own music, one of the most sought-after record producers in any genre. His client list runs from Brandi Carlile to Marilyn Manson.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sort of genre-less now,\u201d Etheridge said. \u201cI\u2019m sort of outside of genres because rock \u2018n\u2019 roll &#8230; I mean, what is rock \u2018n\u2019 roll anymore? Even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even has trouble with that. My full focus on this album was I wanted the album to be California rock. That\u2019s why I came to California in the first place over 40 years ago. I was following the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac and Jackson Browne. I wanted that feeling, so I looked around at producers and artists that I know and artists that have worked with Shooter, and I was like, \u2018This is the guy right here. This is the guy that\u2019s really making and supporting that kind of music. And, boy, was he perfect. He was just so clever, so inspirational. He just let the music happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Etheridge credits the Broadway run of \u201cMy Window\u201d for making her \u201ccomfortable with uncomfortable subjects.\u201d On \u201cRise,\u201d that helped lead her to write \u201cCall You,\u2019 a song that addresses \u2014 directly, but gracefully \u2014 the death of her son.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving lived as long as I have now, to experience so many things, I can see that life is full of loss. There is a lot of that. But it\u2019s what we do after that, it\u2019s the choices we make after that, that really form our life. I realized soon after my son passed away that I could either drown in guilt and shame and just wake up with this pain every day, or I could share it. I could choose to honor his memory and respect and know that, yes, it\u2019s sad that he\u2019s gone, but he\u2019s in a better place. He\u2019s out of pain. He would not want me to be in pain or stop my life or become unhappy for any reason. That is not anything he wanted for the choices that he made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Melissa Etheridge - Don&#039;t You Want A Woman (Official)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xX8_n_bCRIM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Etheridge penned 10 of the 11 songs for \u201cRise\u201d on her own. For the one exception, \u201cThe Other Side of Blue,\u201d she sought out a very specific artist to write and then record the tune with \u2014 Eastern Kentucky country roots hero Chris Stapleton.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor 10 years, I\u2019ve been like, \u2018I would love to sing with him.\u2019 So, I told myself I was going to shoot my shot with this album.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had never met Chris. I never had the opportunity until we got together to write. I went to Nashville for a day. I had a few hours with him. It was casual conversation for about 10 minutes. When we started sharing about our children, I told him I had three beautiful children and that I had lost one, the fourth. He said, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m sorry.\u2019 I said, \u2018No, he was my greatest teacher. I really learned a lot by the experience of him, of having him and then losing him.\u2019 He said, \u2018My goodness, Melissa. You talk in song.\u2019 That wound up as the first line of \u2018The Other Side of Blue\u2019 (\u201cSometimes I listen when she talks in song\u201d) and we just started writing. Chris is so very special. His heart, his emotional mind \u2014 he\u2019s just an incredibly talented man and I\u2019m so grateful to have created this song with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Melissa Etheridge, Chris Stapleton - The Other Side Of Blue (Official)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YtR7-EXBYOU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Is the song another snapshot of the energy that fuels and inspires Etheridge after four decades of making music? A better summation might be that the vigor and drive of her music also informs the way Etheridge lives her life \u2014 each empowering the other.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was built for this. I was made for this. I love nothing more than to show my own emotional catharsis and then instantly see it affect another person, to have that energy exchange. I would rather share that emotion in a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll celebration than sit around and talk about it or just feel bad about it. I want to, physically and emotionally, get it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h2\">Melissa Etheridge<\/h2>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><b>When:<\/b> April 22 at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><b>Where:<\/b> Newlin Hall at the Norton Center for the Arts, 600 W. Walnut in Danville<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><b>Tickets:<\/b> $74-$105<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!----><!----><!----><\/p>\n<div class=\"zone grid\">\n<div class=\"related-stories story-module\">\n<h5>Related Stories from  Lexington Herald Leader<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!----><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.kentucky.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cHow are you?\u201d It\u2019s a standard greeting, one offered more as a casual informality than a serious inquiry. The replies are usually just as perfunctory, even if they aren\u2019t fully reflective of one\u2019s actual demeanor: \u201cGood,\u201d \u201cFine\u201d and the more graciously amended, \u201cFine, thanks.\u201d When a phone conversation commenced last week with Melissa Etheridge, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2381382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2381381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Melissa-Etheridge-on-love-and-loss-new-music-and-Chris.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2381381"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2381383,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381381\/revisions\/2381383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2381382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2381381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2381381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2381381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}