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Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge

American singer-songwriter
Acclaimed singer/songwriter and rock & roller due to her confessional lyrics and raspy, Janis Joplin-esque vocals.
BornMay 29, 1961
HometownLeavenworth, Kansas, United States
Net worth$25 million
Height5'3" (1.60m)
SpouseLinda Wallem
PartnerJulie Cypher, 2010, civil partnership started, Tammy Lynn Michaels, Domestic partnership, ) (registered
ChildrenBeckett Cypher
ParentsJohn Etheridge, Elizabeth Williamson
Profile

Photos

Credit: Getty Images, Rotten Tomatoes, Gracenote Media Services

Videos

Melissa Etheridge Thought ‘Come to My Window’ Was ‘Too Simple’: ‘Almost Didn’t Put It on My Record’

Melissa Etheridge won a Grammy for her "Come to My Window," but she wasn't convinced the song would be a hit. "I almost didn't put it on my record. ... I thought nobody would relate to it," Etheridge, 62, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2024 CMT Awards on Sunday, April 7, in Austin, Texas. "I thought it was too simple." Eventually, Etheridge's mind was changed. "I had a bunch of friends go, 'We think that's a pretty good song, maybe you should keep it on,'" she recalled. "I was like, 'Alright.' ... An artist never knows a hit song." While she never anticipated how popular the song would become, Etheridge told Us she's "glad" it made such an impact. The Best Red Carpet Fashion From 2024 CMT Music Awards: What the Stars Wore  "Come to My Window" was released in 1993 as the second single from Etheridge's fourth album, Yes I Am, and reached No. 25 on the Billboard charts. The song earned Etheridge the second Grammy Award of her career, taking home Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1995. Melissa Etheridge Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMT Days before the CMT Awards, it was announced that Etheridge's songwriting prowess will be explored in a new docuseries, Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken, which hits Paramount+ in July. The two-part series will follow Etheridge as she works on a new song inspired by five incarcerated women at a prison in Kansas. "It's a concert film that we did at the Kansas State Women's Penitentiary," she told Us on Sunday. "I grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas, surrounded by prisons. And Johnny Cash, when I was little, came and performed at the Federal Penitentiary, but we didn't get to see him. Only the prisoners did. And since then, I always was like, 'Wow, I want to bring my music to the inmates and lift them up.' And so we finally got it all together last year and we went to the Topeka Women's Correctional Facility and I'm so proud of it." 2024 CMT Music Awards: Complete List of Winners and Nominees The project is "about how music can lift people up" and "about the way we incarcerate people," Etheridge continued. Etheridge teased the docuseries in a statement when it was announced on Thursday, April 3. "I'm excited for audiences to join me on this powerful journey and hear these remarkable stories filled with pain and struggle but also hope and healing," she said. "I hope that this docuseries shows viewers the challenges that women face in our prison system while also serving as a resource to those who currently are struggling." While gearing up for the release of her series, Etheridge is hitting the road to perform live. She kicked off the Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken tour last month and will wrap up the run of shows on April 20. Later this year, Etheridge is slated to join the Indigo Girls and Jewel on co-headlining tours.
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Albums

Brave and Crazy
Brave and Crazy
1989
Message to Myself
Message to Myself
2007
Live
Live
1988
Falling
Falling
2023
One Way Out
One Way Out
2021
As Cool As You Try
As Cool As You Try
2021
For the Last Time
For the Last Time
2021
Medicine Show
Medicine Show
2019
Wild And Lonely
Wild And Lonely
2019
Faded by Design
Faded by Design
2019
Memphis Rock and Soul
Memphis Rock and Soul
2016
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)
2016
Respect Yourself (People Stand Up)
Respect Yourself (People Stand Up)
2016
Hold On, I’m Coming
Hold On, I’m Coming
2016
Little Bit of Me [Live in L.A.]
Little Bit of Me [Live in L.A.]
2015
Monster
Monster
2015
This Is M.E.
This Is M.E.
2014
Take My Number
Take My Number
2014
Uprising of Love
Uprising of Love
2014
4th Street Feeling
4th Street Feeling
2012
Falling Up
Falling Up
2012
Icon
Icon
2011
Broken Heart Sun
Broken Heart Sun
2011
I Run for Life
I Run for Life
2010
Fearless Love
Fearless Love
2010
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