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Melissa Etheridge recalled feeling "uncomfortable" about how "personal" her music was before coming out.
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In an interview with the iHeartRadio podcast dedicated to the awards Elton John Impact Awards, which took place on Monday, June 1, the rock musician stated that at the time her music was "gender neutral.".
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Etheridge came out as a lesbian in 1993.
Melissa Etheridge shared her feelings as an artist sharing her music before coming out as a lesbian.
On the iHeartRadio podcast episode dedicated to the awards Elton John Impact Awards , In her album, released Monday, June 1, the rock singer recalled feeling "uncomfortable" with the frankness of her music before coming out in 1993.
Etheridge, 65, recalled feeling awkward about not talking about her sexuality publicly around the time her third studio album was released in 1992. Never Enough .
«"I started thinking, 'Oh, my God, you know, this is getting a little awkward because my music was so personal,'" she said. "It was very, you know, very relatable music—songs about passion and desire and heartbreak, and so the questions the interviewers asked me were more in-depth.".
Etheridge continued: "And I've always been very, very careful to only say 'they,' 'them,' 'you' [when referring to a partner], and even my music has been very gender-neutral.".
Melissa Etheridge in 1990 in West Hollywood, California. Photo: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty.
The "Come to My Window" singer discussed a 1992 interview. Music Express magazine , where the journalist called her partner "boyfriend.".
«"In the underground, people knew I was a lesbian, and it just terrified me. I was like, 'People are going to think I'm lying and trying to hide it.' And that just terrified me. So I said to myself, 'No, no, no. I need to come out,'" Etheridge said on the podcast.
In April, the singer of the hit "Bein' Alive" also told the publication Artist Friendly about the impact of the article using the term "boyfriend" and how "crazy" it seemed at the time.
«"I was on the cover of Music Express and he changed every pronoun I used," Etheridge said, adding that the switch to "boyfriend" "horrified" her.
She feared that members of the gay community would blame her for these changes.
Although Etheridge had planned to publicly declare her lesbian orientation in The Arsenio Hall Show« , In 1992, she worked on the campaign staff of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, which changed her plans.
She eventually came out as a lesbian at Clinton's inauguration.
Elton John Impact Awards Podcast (Source: iHeart)
Following the release of "I'm the Only One," which later became her biggest hit and reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1995, Etheridge publicly came out in 1993.
Read the original article on People.