Melissa Etheridge is once again hitting the high seas with her fans – and she’s bringing along Canada’s Serena Ryder.
The third annual Melissa Etheridge Cruise sails from Tampa, Florida to three sunny ports of call from March 31 to April 7.
“I'd said no for a long time. I just didn't think it would be something that would fit my music and my fans. But oh, was I wrong,” Etheridge said of the cruises. “After that first one I did a couple years ago I said, ‘I'm in this. I love this.’
“The experience that I have with my fans, with 3,000 people that really love my music and want to hear not just the hits — yeah we play the hits — but the deep tracks, and really get into interesting things and talk about things, and then share other music.”
In addition to Ryder, the cruise will feature performances by Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, Joan Osborne and others.
“These are those great artists that were around in the '90s with me, who have been making such great music,” Etheridge told iHeartRadio. “I do reach out to a lot of women, because I think not only do the fans who enjoy my music really enjoy a lot of women, but I think it's time for us to work a little bit more and be in these things.
“So, I look to the artists that I think that my fans, the people that will be on the cruise, will enjoy. That's really the main criteria.”
This year marked the 25th anniversary of Etheridge’s breakout album Yes I Am, which spawned hits like “Come To My Window” and “I’m The Only One.”
“Looking back on my career, I swear I wouldn't change a thing,” she said. “It has been absolutely what I've always dreamed of.”
Adapted from an article by Nicole Mastrogiannis at iHeartRadio