Melissa Etheridge Announces 'This Is M.E.' 2016 Headline Shows

Acclaimed songstress Melissa Etheridge is giving Aussie audiences an additional three chances to see her live on top of her freshly revealed Byron Bay Bluesfest performance next year, announcing a whirlwind run of headline shows — as well as her appearance at the annual shindig — dubbed the This Is M.E. tour, in honour of her recently released album of the same name.

The Oscar- and Grammy-winning musician will perform at the Enmore Theatre, in Sydney, on Wednesday 23 March, before an intermission for Bluesfest (24-28 March) and consequently heading down to Melbourne's Palais Theatre on Wednesday 30 March, ultimately wrapping up way out west at Perth's Riverside Theatre on Friday 1 April (no fooling, we promise).

Having climbed to prominence as a profound and engaging songwriter during the '90s — and consistently had that fact reiterated by way of award nominations and wins (17 and two, respectively, for the Grammys alone) — Etheridge faced the biggest challenge of her life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer just over a decade ago. True to form, however, she beat the disease and has gone on to thrive over the past 11 years, recently releasing her newest (and 12th) studio album, This Is M.E., from which her upcoming sojourn takes its name.

The album itself is yet another testament to Etheridge's enduring energy and essence, and if you're looking to get in on her headline show action next year, you'll want to move quickly; tickets for all her sideshows go on sale from 9am (AEDT) this Thursday, 29 October, via Ticketek (Sydney/Perth) and Ticketmaster (Melbourne).

For more information about Bluesfest, see our dedicated event page.

See the full list of Byron Bay Bluesfest sideshows here.