Wynonna Judd and Melissa Etheridge have spent the summer sharing a stage, and they say now is the perfect time.
“They don’t know how hard it is to coordinate two artists to get together and do something. It’s almost impossible,” Etheridge tells ABC News. “Where we’re at in our life right now, this is something we want to come out and do.”
The 27-date Raised on Radio co-headlining run opened June 24 and continues through September.
“We were all raised on radio,” Wynonna says. “I remember hearing my song for the first time on the radio. Everybody has a memory. And everybody in the audience, when I sing ’80s and ’90s, they go nuts.”
Naomi Judd died by suicide on April 30, 2022, one day before The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna accepted the honor with her sister, Ashley Judd, at her side.
“The night before, I laid out my clothes and I said, ‘I still have to show up, because this is part of my destiny,”” Wynonna says. “My sister held my hand the whole time. I made it through, but I was lost. Healing comes when you open up and accept the grief and let it flow over you for as long as it’s needed.”
Her mother, she said, is still with her.
“Through the music. I’m just having a conversation with her constantly,” Wynonna says. She’ll release The Hard Truth, her first solo studio album in a decade, in October. “It’s made me a better person, not bitter. And that’s the key right there.”
Etheridge carries her own loss. Her son Beckett Cypher died in 2020 at 21 from causes related to opioid addiction.
Neither ruled out making a record together. “Wouldn’t it be fun?” Wynonna said. “I’ve never done it before.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org or dial the current toll-free number 800-273-8255 [TALK].
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