The singer-songwriter talks DIVA through her legendary career, from hanging out with Ellen in the early 90s to headlining WorldPride this summer
WORDS BY ROXY BOURDILLON, PHOTO BY LAUREN DUKOFF
In 1993, one year before DIVA hit newsstands, rock icon Melissa Etheridge made queer herstory by coming out publicly as a lesbian. Far from bringing her already astounding success to an abrupt end, her popularity soared.Her authenticity, talent and fear-less passion won her two Grammys, an Oscar, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and die-hard fans all over the world. Like millions of others, I’m captivated by her achingly raw, heart-on-the-line songs, including the powerfully yearning Bring Me Some Water and sapphic classic Come To My Window.When we speak on the phone, I find the Kansas-born singer to be a natural raconteur, conversationally as well as musically, as she regales me with extraordinary stories spanning the last 30 years.
DIVA: What was it like being a closeted lesbian in early 90s Hollywood?
MELISSA ETHERIDGE: It was a really exciting time. k.d. lang and I found each other quickly in 1988, and then Ellen DeGeneres was hanging out with us, and Rosie O’Donnell.
Read the rest of this exclusive interview in the April 2019 issue of DIVA, available now via the links below.
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