“Fearless love is myphilosophy and an anthem for living,” says Etheridge, 49, who will bring her“Fearless Love Tour” to the Riverside Theater Aug. 11. “I need to make surethat I love fearlessly no matter what relationship I am in.”
The Leavenworth, Kan.,native has long lived the courage of that conviction as an openly lesbianperformer, political activist and breast cancer survivor. One revelation fromthat courage may be best articulated in a line from the new album’s title song:“I am what I am, and I am what I am afraid of.”
“That’s part of thecancer stuff,” says Etheridge, who was diagnosed in October 2004. “If I thinkthat I’m not thin enough or too old to be a rock star, then I’m not thin enough and I am too old. If you put your energy intothose fears, then what you fear will become your reality.”
The daughter of apsychology teacher and a computer consultant, Etheridge attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music before heading to Los Angeles to pursue amusic career. Signed by Island Records originally to write songs for movies,she eventually released her self-titled first album in 1988. The disc contained“Bring Me Some Water,” her first hit and her first Grammy Award nomination.
More honors and albumsfollowed, including 1993’s Yes I Am,which many believe referred to Etheridge’s acknowledgement of her lesbianism.The artist came out publicly earlier that year at the Gay and Lesbian TriangleBall that celebrated Bill Clinton’s election victory.
Prior to all of that,however, Etheridge in 1989 released Braveand Crazy, her sophomore effort. It’s a title she says still describes heras she approaches her fifth decade, even if the current definition of thoseterms is not quite the same as it was 20 years ago.
“I can’t go out andpretend I am the drug-sex-and-rock-’n’-roll chick anymore because that’s nolonger my truth,” Etheridge says. “Rock and roll is still about danger andliving outside of society, and I’ve been living that for a long time. But I amthe strongest when I am singing my truth.”
Etheridge’s truthinvolves commitment to a variety of causes, including gay rights and theenvironment. When Californiapassed Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, the singer announced thatshe would refuse to pay her state taxes as an act of civil disobedience. Shealso recorded the song “I Need to Wake Up” for An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore’s documentary about the pendingenvironmental disaster.
The role of music isimportant in reaching people, says Etheridge, who counts Peter Gabriel, PaulSimon, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading and Bruce Springsteen as her mostsignificant influences. The artists, she says, have a “fearless commitment tostory” and understand how words and music combine to influence a song’scapability to touch listeners.
“Music is an amazinggift to humanity,” she says. “Music effects social change because it bypassesthe head to reach the heart and soul. For any change to occur we have to feelit as well as understand it.”
Reaching listeners’hearts and souls is one more way Etheridge is able to sing her own truth.
Melissa Etheridge plays the Riverside Theater at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11.
