Melissa Etheridge’s joint summer tour with Wynonna Judd wraps up Sunday, and then she’ll continue touring on her own through October in support of her new album, RISE. And when she looks out in the audience these days, she sees multiple generations of fans.
Melissa says the fans who reach out to her on social media or talk to her at her shows aren’t just those who were around in the late ’80s and ’90s when she recorded her classic hits. Often, it’s younger people who discovered her music through their family members — and she says that provides her with some powerful motivation.
“I love that, and that always makes me, like, ‘Keep going, keep writing, keep playing the the hit songs,'” she tells ABC Audio. “And I’ve gone from, you know, ‘Oh, I’m a big fan of yours’ to then it was, ‘My mom’s such a big fan of yours.'”
“And the last couple years I’ve started to get, ‘My grandma’s a big fan of yours,'” she laughs. “So you know what? Let’s hear it for the grandmas! It’s OK!”
But she doesn’t just have fans of all ages; Melissa says sometimes they all come to see her together.
“Sometimes I get the … whole family showing up: the kids, the grandkids, the grandma, you know, they’re all there,” she says. “And I love that I can be a family destination.”
Melissa is set to appear at LA’s Grammy Museum on Aug. 24 for a conversation about RISE, followed by a special performance on the museum’s rooftop terrace. Tickets are on sale now.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
