Melissa Etheridge has never been one to shy away from writing socially-conscious songs or getting downright personal in her music. She penned the Oscar-winning I Need to Wake Up for Al Gores 2006 documentaryAn Inconvenient Truthand she sang about non-monogamous relationships in Im the Only One. For the Grammy winner, theres no time like the present to write music with impact and meaning. After all, so far in 2017, weve seen a new president in the White House, the Womens March rally in D.C., and plenty of pending changes on the horizon.These are very inspiring times and I feel very moved to be writing right now, and Ill probably be writing all year long, Etheridge told HuffPost, referencing the political and social climate under the Donald Trump presidency. Its funny because I find myself wanting to write about whats happening at the moment and understanding that what I write now might not be heard for another year, and God, hopefully things will be different in another year. So its kind of funny to write about something thats happening now when you hope it will be completely different in the future. That said, Etheridge is trying to find a comfortable middle ground, and while doing so, she recognizes that for some it might be easy to feel a little dismayed.It can be discouraging as an LGBTwell, as a human beingthis last year, its been difficult ... I didnt know that so many people felt so darkly and so fearful, said Etheridge, who came out in 1993.Still, Etheridge says she feels eternally hopeful. Its a feeling that came to her after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004.After going through cancer 12 years ago, that hope is always there and thats what life is about and thats the motor of lifethe hope and looking forward and creating and not letting fear hold you down, and Im finding that some of my older songs are ringing more true today than ever, like I Need to Wake Upa lot of these songs have more meaning now than then, Etheridge said. In between writing songs, Etheridge has plotted out a batch of tour dates for 2017, including her first-ever concert in Cuba in June. Shes teaming with Ben Folds for a four-day trip, which theyre describing as a fan-camp experience, complete with workshops, music and more. Theyre encouraging fans to come along to experience the art and culture of Havana. Etheridge will also take time out to raise awareness for the LGBTQ community.I find that what I can do best is to tell my story and hopefully give inspiration through that, she said. I grew up in Kansas in a really conservative place and how just being yourself and just walking your path in your truth is revolutionary and can absolutely change the world. Just to inspire people to feel thatto move forward in their truth is what I hope I can do.Moving forward in her truth is something Etheridge has tried to do since her start in music. Next year will mark three decades since she released her self-titled debut album. The Come to My Window singer says she can hardly believe that all that time has passed. Yet, at 55 years old, she feels more rooted in her truth than ever before.When youre just around long enough you start to say, Oh, Im going to start not sweating the small stuff. And you really understand that things come and go because you see it come and go enough. Youre not quite afraid of stuff, because you know things shift and change. I think my 60s are going to rock that much more.Welcome to Battleground, where art and activism meet.function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){'undefined'!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if('object'==typeof commercial_video){var a='',o='m.fwsitesection='+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video['package']){var c='&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D'+commercial_video['package'];a+=c}e.setAttribute('vdb_params',a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById('vidible_1'),onPlayerReadyVidible); -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Click here to read full news..
