Rock musician Melissa Etheridge has revealed details of her new studio album, Rise, set for release on March 27, 2026, marking her first full-length project in five years. The personal collection includes a duet with Chris Stapleton and a tribute to her late son. She also unveiled The Rise Tour, starting March 26 in Detroit.
Album Details
Melissa Etheridge's upcoming album, Rise, arrives March 27, 2026, via Sun Records. Described as her most personal work yet, it features 11 new songs, including the duet "The Other Side of Blue" with country star Chris Stapleton and a tribute to her late son, Beckett Cypher, titled "Call You." The album was co-produced by Etheridge and Shooter Jennings, who praised the collaboration as "one of the greatest times of my life" and called her "one of the greatest rock and roll artists of our lifetime."
The lead single, "Matches," is available now, accompanied by a lyric video. Etheridge explains the song draws from her childhood fascination with music, inspired by watching Johnny Cash perform at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1970. "I was 8, and a huge Johnny Cash fan. His music really lit my fingers and made me so excited," she stated. "When I say ‘Mama, let me play with the matches,’ I really wanted to play that music."
Preorders for Rise are open, with Etheridge scheduled to appear on Talk Shop Live on March 12, 2026, to promote it.
Tour Information
The Rise Tour launches March 26, 2026, at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Detroit, Michigan, and concludes May 9 at the Weldon Mills Theatre in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. The itinerary includes stops in major markets across the U.S. and Canada, such as Pickering, Ontario; Austin, Texas; and Hershey, Pennsylvania. Songs from Rise will be performed. Tickets are on sale now via MelissaEtheridge.com.
Key dates include:
- March 27: Venue TBA, Pickering, ON
- April 26: ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX
- May 8: Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA
This release and tour represent a significant return for Etheridge, building on her legacy in rock music.
