It’s Only Fear That Makes You Run

If there’s one word to describe singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, it would be persistent.

From humble and hardscrabble beginnings as a performer in dive bars and backrooms throughout the Midwest in the late 1970s and early 1980s to international acclaim just a decade later, Etheridge has remained a beacon of creativity and purpose throughout the decades—where now words like “legend” and “icon” tend to precede her name in the bright lights of show business.

Amid all of those hit singles (“I’m the Only One,” “Come to My Window,” “I Want to Come Over,” to name a few) and enormous gigs, Etheridge has always used her voice as one of reason in uncertain times. A pioneering social and political activist, she’s looked upon as a bridge of love and compassion in the face of intense division and outrage. 

In conversation, Etheridge is much like her beloved melodies—warm, introspective and embracing, where the fire of her intent remains as illuminating and roaring as ever. 

It’s as if Etheridge is continually coming into her own, these chapters of her life opening and closing, with blank pages of possibility revealing themselves in due time. It’s something that resides at the core of her deep, intrinsic drive to connect to humanity through the universal language itself—music, especially when performed live.

What does the landscape of Melissa Etheridge look like these days? Where are you in your career? 

I’m in a great place, a place where I don’t worry anymore. I’m not looking at charts or radio. I’m just concentrating on my music, and that really makes me happy. I have people that will come see me [perform] that know—when they come to see me, they’re going to have an experience. They’re going to feel better. They’re going to hear the hit songs that they love. They’re going to hear new stuff and they’re going to be entertained, and that’s just gold. I keep working that and it feels really good. 

Well, I would then surmise that there’s really a conscious and subconscious effort to promote positivity and be aware of “the now.”

Absolutely. You hit it right on the nose. That’s what I like to bring. You know, these are trying times, these are times that divide a lot of people, and this is an opportunity to really step up and say, “Hey, that’s our strength, that we’re all different.” It’s a blessing that we’re all different, and some people are going to be rubbed the wrong way, and that’s OK. You know, we can all still be in the same room and love music and enjoy things. 

Then you must obviously see the importance of the platform that you stand on, in terms of the social responsibility of an artist?

And I would never take advantage of that. People know my lifestyle. They know what I stand for. They know my politics and all that sort of stuff. But, I never bring that into my performance. I let my own personal spirit come through my performance. I speak of love. I speak of unity and strengthening one’s own inner self, because I think the best way to change the world is to start with yourself. 

For someone as positive as yourself, who’s always been politically and socially active, are you optimistic about the future? 

Absolutely. And mostly because I went through a life-changing illness. I had breast cancer about 15 years ago and that really sort of set a lot of perspective to me of [that] this is a life school and it’s a practice every day. And my work is to get out there and create and believe. I’m hopeful, and you have to be or else you’re just going to draw to you the hopeless. I believe that we’re learning. I believe we’re all growing. I think we’re better off than we’ve ever been. And I know that the future is brighter. 

Where does that old soul mentality come from within you? 

Well, I was born and raised in the Midwest. In Kansas, we were raised to be nice, play fair, work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor. And I’ve always taken that with me. Then, living in California for 30 years, I’ve certainly learned about peace and love, healthy things and keeping myself healthy—[it all] really makes a big difference. 

In terms of where we are in the 21st century, what is the role of the songwriter in our digital world?

We can’t let go of the things that move our soul. And as writers create and speak and reach past the mind and working consciousness of problem solving stuff, we need to always have the balance of the creative, of the inspiring, of the spiritual. And that’s the job. It’s never going to go away—we’re always going to need that.