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Melissa Etheridge

April 29, 2026 · 1 h 2 min

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Melissa Etheridge.

Following the release of her latest album, Rise, the Grammy and Oscar-winning rock alum joins Madden for a hopeful, wide-ranging conversation.

Sitting across from each other, they traverse how a cancer diagnosis two decades ago completely rewired the way she eats, thinks, and moves through the world — and why 22 years later, she’s never felt better.

Etheridge also reflects on losing her son to an opioid overdose, the foundation she started in his name to fund psychedelic research for addiction treatment, and what it felt like to come out in 1993.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Director/Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

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All episodes of Artist Friendly with Joel Madden

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