Award winning singer and activist Melissa Etheridge to perform National Anthem at the 2024 NWSL Championship

NEW YORK (October 30, 2024) – Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist and icon Melissa Etheridge will perform the national anthem at the 2024 National Women's Soccer League Championship on November 23. Etheridge will take the field from Kansas City’s CPKC Stadium ahead of the 2024 NWSL Championship game from the first-ever stadium purpose-build for a professional women’s sports team in the United States.

Etheridge's participation represents a powerful intersection of pioneering women in music and sports, bringing together two groundbreaking forces in American culture. Her performance marks the NWSL’s commitment to showcasing women’s excellence both on and off the playing field. 

“There is nothing better than coming home to Kansas City to perform the National Anthem at this groundbreaking stadium in front of these amazing athletes,” Etheridge said. “Sports and music are two of the most powerful tools that celebrate diversity and unite fans from all backgrounds, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring those forces together as we celebrate the incredible women of the NWSL and all they have done for the next generation of fans and athletes.” 

As one of the most celebrated female voices in American music history, Etheridge's presence underscores the cultural importance of women's professional soccer and its growing prominence across both the sports and cultural landscapes. Etheridge’s decades-long advocacy work for women’s empowerment has inspired the next generation of female artists, much like the women of the NWSL who are setting new standards for female athletes and sports leagues.

"Melissa Etheridge’s history of advocacy and fearlessness continues to serve as inspiration to our fans everywhere," said NWSL Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer Julie Haddon. “Once we knew that our Championship would be held in Kansas City, and Melissa being from Kansas, it was clear that we needed Melissa to perform at our biggest event of the year. Her love for the city, the sport, and for the people she has always inspired aligns with so much of what we stand for at the NWSL.”

Etheridge is a two-time Grammy Award Winner, 15-time nominee, and received the 2007 Academy Award for Best Song. She has remained one of America’s favorite female singer-songwriters for more than two decades since storming on to the music scene in 1988. Etheridge publicly came out as a lesbian at the Triangle Ball in 1993, the same year she released Yes I Am, her iconic fourth studio album that shot her to fame. Earlier this year, Etheridge released I’m Not Broken, a two-part docuseries and accompanying live album.

The 2024 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, kicks off at 7 p.m. CT Saturday, November 23, at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The game will be broadcast on CBS and will be streamed on Paramount Plus.  Tickets for the match are available here.