Melissa Etheridge with Maggie Rose

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a pair of powerful songwriters—one you surely know, one you may not yet—who recently toured together, and who both have great new albums out. It’s Melissa Etheridge and Maggie Rose.

I’ll try and fail to do justice to Melissa Etheridge’s incredible life and career in one short paragraph: She’s sold millions of records, written and performed massive hit songs, won Grammys and an Oscar, beat cancer, written books, done a one-woman show about her life, been a loud and strong advocate for gay rights since well before that was a mainstream thing to do, and now she’s started a foundation to investigate alternate therapies for drug addiction after losing a son to opioids in 2020. She also managed to write and release her seventeenth studio album over the past couple of years: Rise was co-produced with Shooter Jennings and it’s a bit more rock-leaning than usual. Etheridge is doing a big co-headline tour with Wynonna Judd, and the other half of today’s conversation, Maggie Rose, is opening those shows—and as you’ll hear in this chat, having a ball.

Though she started her career in Nashville, Rose has always pushed at the boundaries of what might be called country music, and her last few albums don’t fit the tag at all. Her brand new album, Half Moon, is out this week, and it’s a big, bright pop record—smart and sophisticated and thoughtful and fun. She’s been through the industry wringer and come out the other side with a stronger sense of self than ever. Half Moon and its accompanying EP Cocoon are influenced by motherhood, which you’ll hear about it in this lively chat. Check out “Red Shoes” from Half Moon right here.

In this sweet, mutually admiring conversation, Etheridge and Rose talk about the importance of following your own path, about being mothers in a crazy business, and about the Etheridge Foundation, among other things. You’ll also hear them talk about joining each other on stage on tour—you can catch them both on the road the rest of this summer, too. Enjoy.

0:00 Introduction

02:22 Start of conversation

02:32 On “The Four Agreements” and the importance of expression

04:24 On finding connection with yourself as an artist, and on touring together

06:56 On “Poison in My Well, Maggie’s latest releases, and Melissa’s influences on her music

12:47 On how Maggie writes with her husband, and the stories behind “The Other Woman” and “Davina”

15:50 On Melissa’s foundation researching and developing alternative treatments for addiction

19:10 On supporting each other, raising kids while touring, and teaching kids life lessons

23:13 On showing kids that doing what you love matters, and Melissa’s creative journey after her son’s passing

26:22 On recording Melissa’s album “Rise,” and engaging with fans in a new way during the pandemic

29:22 On Maggie’s new album “Half Moon,” why Melissa loves her as an artist, and working outside of genre confines

32:26 On being a live performer, feeling “undiscovered” by the wider music industry, and finding success on your own timeline

35:54 On longevity versus “flash in the pan” success, and learning from Bruce Springsteen about what matters as a musician

38:27 On the rest of their tour, and on Melissa’s 12-string guitar

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Melissa Etheridge and Maggie Rose for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

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