by Kate Crofts
Daily Lobo
Singer/songwriter Melissa Ferrick has been in the music industry for more than a decade.
During those 10-plus years, she has been associated with several different labels - record labels and social labels.
Record labels Atlantic, WAR and her own label, Right On Records, have all produced albums for the artist. Socially constructed labels regarding the performer's sexual orientation have also been attached to Ferrick.
But whether they're a stamp of sexual preference or a brand of music production, the labels are just words, Ferrick said, and they fail to define who she is.
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Ferrick is known as a 'lesbian' performer often compared with the "other" Melissa - guitarist Melissa Etheridge. Songs like Ferrick's "Drive" have left no doubt in fans' minds that Ferrick has a love for women. The song is an erotic lesbian encounter, eight-and-a-half minutes long, simulating the entire sexual experience.
While this label is something Ferrick said she once embraced, she has matured a lot and is eager to share her lessons with her fans.
"I don't identify with a specific sexual orientation," Ferrick said. "I used to, but I don't anymore. It's so limiting. When someone says "lesbian" or "homosexual" it instantly pigeonholes me into a certain type of person. I dress a certain way, I look a certain way, I eat at certain places and I vote a certain way. And you know what? I don't.
"I'm not saying I don't love women, and I don't make out with women, I do. But I love men, and I'm not going to rule out the possibility of being with a guy because of his gender."
Gender should not be the focal issue in relationships Ferrick said.
"If I fall for a guy, it's not because he has a (penis)," Ferrick said. "If I fall for him it's because of his soul."
She said focusing on gender instead of character can close someone off to endless possibilities.
"For years, I was like 'I like girls, I like girls' and as a result I didn't allow myself to experience a lot of different relationships, not just sexual relationships but friendships; new people to have in my life."
While sexuality may have closed some doors, music has opened others and enabled Ferrick to share in many people's lives.
"The music is not mine," she said. "It belongs to everyone. I'm so grateful when it affects someone else."
And it does. Ferrick has loyal fans throughout the nation who are eager to interact with the artist and share their hardships the way Ferrick has divulged hers.
"It's hard sometimes because I hear very personal stories," Ferrick said. "It's humbling and I don't know that to say. When I'm writing the songs, I'm not thinking about how it's going to affect other people - I just couldn't. So when someone tells me what the music means to them, it's very powerful to hear."
Presently, Ferrick is touring the United States performing tracks off her latest album Listen Hard along with old fan favorites.
