Episode 151: Melissa Etheridge

5 Questions With Dan Schawbel

My guest today is singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Melissa Etheridge. Melissa rose to fame with her mainstream breakthrough album, “Yes I Am”, with singles including “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window”. Throughout her career, she’s received 15 Grammy Award nominations and won two of them. More recently, Melissa released her new album “One Way Out” which has unreleased songs from the 1980s and early 90s. We talk about the album, her childhood, dealing with loss, and more during this podcast episode.

The 5 questions I ask in this episode:

1. Growing up in Kansas, when did you realize that you could turn your music into a career?
2. You were discovered in a gay bar, yet the record label asked in a meeting, “what are we going to do about this gay thing?” How did they eventually come around to accept you for who you are?
3. You recently lost your son to opioid addiction and beat cancer several years ago. How have these experiences changed how you think about your life and career?
4. Why did you decide to release songs you recorded decades ago this year?
5. What is your best piece of career advice?

Video interview

Follow Melissa’s journey:

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