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With classic hits like Bring Me Some Water and I Want To Come Over, Melissa Etheridge was arguably one of the biggest female artists of the '90s.
And while the lesbian rocker has become a gay icon throughout her career, she was originally urged to stay in the closet when she signed her first record deal.
Appearing on the Hot Takes and Deep Dives podcast, the 60-year-old was warned not to 'flag wave' by a record executive ahead of the release of her debut album in 1988.
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Trailblazer: Lesbian rock icon Melissa Etheridge (pictured) has revealed in a new interview that she was urged to stay in the closet when she released her first album
After being asked what the marketing plan was around her sexuality, Melissa told the staff at the label that she wasn't going to 'pretend to be straight' to sell records.
'Well, I'm not going to pretend to be straight,' she recalled telling the label execs and marketing department.
'I'm not going to go and take pictures with anybody, I'm not. I've already played women's music festivals, I have an underground lesbian following, that would be poison.'
She said that she
