Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer, songwriter, guitarist, and activist. She is best known for her blend of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals. Over her career, Etheridge has released 17 studio albums and earned numerous honors, including two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.

Etheridge was born on May 29, 1961, in Leavenworth, Kansas, to Elizabeth Williamson, a computer consultant, and John Etheridge, a high school teacher. She began guitar lessons at age eight and played in local country music groups during her youth. After graduating from high school in 1979, she attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After three semesters, she dropped out and moved to Los Angeles to pursue music professionally.

In Los Angeles, music manager Bill Leopold and Island Records chief Chris Blackwell discovered Etheridge performing in local venues. Her self-titled debut album, released in 1988, reached No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and produced the Grammy-nominated single "Bring Me Some Water." She followed with Brave and Crazy in 1989 and Never Enough in 1992. The single "Ain't It Heavy" from Never Enough won Etheridge her first Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female.

Etheridge publicly came out as a lesbian in January 1993, beginning decades of gay and lesbian rights activism. In September 1993, she released her mainstream breakthrough album, Yes I Am. It spent 138 weeks on the Billboard 200, reached 6× Platinum certification, and spawned the Top 40 singles "I'm the Only One," "If I Wanted To," and "Come to My Window." The latter earned her a second Grammy Award. Her 1995 album, Your Little Secret, reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

Etheridge maintained her recording career with Breakdown in 1999, Skin in 2001, and Lucky in 2004. In October 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. She made a widely acclaimed stage return at the 2005 Grammy Awards, performing "Piece of My Heart" with Joss Stone. Later that year, she released the Gold-certified compilation Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled.

In 2006, Etheridge won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "I Need to Wake Up," written for the film An Inconvenient Truth. Her subsequent projects include playing St. Jimmy in Broadway's American Idiot in 2011, releasing albums such as This Is M.E. in 2014 and Rise in 2026, and supporting various charitable efforts. Etheridge received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2011 and was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.