
Reviews Write New Review
Location
Booking Fee
Fee: $##,###Get Pricing
Virtual Fee: $##,###Get Pricing
[email protected]
Melissa Etheridge is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, LGBTQ activist and breast cancer survivor. Etheridge, who came out as lesbian in 1993, is known for having a raspy voice and confessional lyrics in her folk-rock music.
Her self-titled debut album "Melissa Etheridge" was released in 1988 and became an underground success. The album peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200, and its lead single, "Bring Me Some Water", garnered Etheridge her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female. In 1993, Etheridge won her first Grammy award for her single "Ain't It Heavy" from her third album, "Never Enough."
Later that year, she released what would become her mainstream breakthrough album, "Yes I Am." Its tracks "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window" both reached the top 30 in the United States, and the latter earned Etheridge her second Grammy award. "Yes I Am" peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, and spent 138 weeks on the chart, earning a RIAA certification of 6× Platinum.
In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage and, while bald from chemotherapy, performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song "Piece of My Heart". Etheridge's performance, which was widely lauded, inspired India.Arie to write "I Am Not My Hair.”
Etheridge has advocated for cannabis legalization (with common-sense regulations in place), due to her experiences using it while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
In 2011, Etheridge received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2019, Etheridge released her fourteenth studio album, The Medicine Show. The first single from that album was "Faded by Design."
In May of 2020, Etheridge announced that her son Beckett had tragically died at the young age of 21 from causes related to his opioid addiction.
Videos
Speech Topics
The Creative Process
Personal Battle with Breast Cancer
Diversity & LGBT Issues
Women's Empowerment
News
Related Speakers View all
![]() |
Tig Notaro
Grammy Award-Nominated Stand-Up Comic, Writer, Radio...
|
![]() |
Sheryl Crow
Grammy Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter
|
![]() |
Alanis Morissette
Alt-Rock Angst Icon Known for "You Oughta Know" & "I...
|
![]() |
Wanda Sykes
Emmy Award-Winning Comedian, Actress & Author
|
![]() |
Hayley Kiyoko
Pop Singer-Songwriter & Actress Known For "The Foste...
|
![]() |
Rita Wilson
Actress, Producer & Singer Known for "Sleepless in S...
|
![]() |
Cynthia Nixon
Actress Known for her Role as Miranda Hobbes on HBO'...
|
![]() |
Jewel
Singer-Songwriter, Advocate for People Experiencing ...
|
![]() |
Michael Franti
Poet, Musician & Activist
|
![]() |
Giuliana Rancic
Entertainment Journalist & Breast Cancer Survivor
|
![]() |
Bella Thorne
Model, Actress & Author
|
![]() |
Brandi Carlile
Folk-Rock Singer-Songwriter
|
![]() |
Gloria Estefan
Grammy Award-Winning Latin Musician
|
![]() |
Leslie Odom Jr.
Broadway Actor & Grammy Award Winning Singer
|
![]() |
Pat Monahan
Singer, Songwriter, Lead Singer of Train
|
![]() |
Aloe Blacc
Singer-Songwriter, Rapper & Musician; Known for "I N...
|
![]() |
Sandra Fluke
Lawyer, Social Justice Advocate, Women's Health Expert
|
![]() |
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Actor & LGBTQ Activist; Best-Known for “Modern Family”
|
![]() |
Raven Symone
Actress & Singer Known for "That's So Raven"
|
![]() |
Robin Roberts
Award-Winning Co-Anchor on ABC's "Good Morning Ameri...
|