Delta Goodrem looks back: “I couldn’t say a word, let alone sing, and I had to learn to speak from scratch” | life and style

Backtrack

Singer and actor talks about coping with health issues, signing at 15 and being a sunny Aussie

Sat Aug 19 2023 7:00 AM EDT

Born in Sydney in 1984, Delta Goodrem is a musician, actor and television personality. She signed her first recording contract at age 15 and joined the cast of Neighbors as Nina Tucker a year later. Her 2003 album Innocent Eyes became one of the best-selling debut albums in Australian history, spending 29 weeks at No. 1, and she has sold 9 million records worldwide. Alongside his music career, Goodrem coached on The Voice Australia for eight years and also starred as Olivia Newton-John in the star’s biopic. Goodrem’s new single, Back to Your Heart, is out now.

This photo of me surrounded by colorful balloons was taken on the occasion of my father’s 40th birthday. It’s not a huge smile on my face, but I would have been very happy because I most definitely would have picked up a mic and sung Hopelessly Devoted to You or Twist and Shout at some point that night. My mom put me in this beautiful princess dress for the party – not what I would have chosen, but she loved it, and even then I was drawn to the sense of fantasy and game. Above all, the image represents a moment before the start of my career, and a feeling of celebration and coming together, which is so important to me.

I had a wonderful childhood, pretty standard for an Australian child. I played a lot of sports and was very outdoorsy, and when it came to socializing I always treated age as if it didn’t matter: if I was sitting with the adults of my family, I was chatting, and if I was sitting with the kids, I would be just as happy to have a conversation. I was comfortable with all types of people and spaces.

My family is not creative at all – my brother is an Australian professional football player and captain – an incredible leader. Mom and dad worked very hard so that we could achieve our dreams. But as far as their record collection was concerned, it was strictly limited to albums by Joe Cocker, John Farnham and Jive Bunny, so my listening tastes were something that I discovered on my own. It started with Celine Dion, then came Tori Amos and Fleetwood Mac. The music quickly became a part of my heart and soul, and I saw each artist’s song as a story.

The frequency of the music was so moving to me, and right from the start I realized how amazing it was to transform a room with melody. But rather than having posters of pop stars on my wall, I had the Australian music charts. I crossed out what was #1 with a pen and wrote my name instead.

I was 15 when I first signed with Sony, but I had been writing songs on the piano since I was seven. That same year, I had also started acting on prime time television. [on shows such as Hey Dad … !, A Country Practice and Police Rescue]. The arts came into my life at a fairly young age, but despite the momentum, the pressure didn’t get to me. Although I know it can be difficult to maintain your own sense of self-worth, I always felt like I was in my own race to be better than yesterday, rather than seeking external validation. My motivation has never been about money or fame. It was always about the intention to love and connect.

I’ve had a lot of stops and starts since then – whether it’s constantly having to fight for my space in a busy and ever-changing industry, which is why I’ve taken my career into my own hands and created my own label, or my health. The same week my debut album came out, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

I was 18 and it was an extreme time. There was this weird period where I was heading to the UK for Top of the Pops and going back to Australia to do Neighbors, but suddenly I had to hold myself back and spend a lot of time with oncologists and haematologists, doing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

While I rested and rehabilitated at home, Innocent Eyes took on a life of its own. It was a destabilizing period, but it gave me perspective. It taught me that while life can be messy, it’s just part of your trajectory. Going back on tour, making music again – that was my motivation to improve.

In 2018, I took on a completely different challenge. I had my salivary gland removed, and when I woke up from surgery my speech was impaired because a nerve in my tongue had been paralyzed. I couldn’t say a word, let alone sing, and had to learn to speak from scratch. It was definitely not a walk in the park, but the amazing nurses helped me find my feet.

Coming back in front of an audience after this reset period was one of the most amazing experiences, and it helped me as a musician. I define what I do as a “life writer” – someone who combines the fundamental lessons I’ve learned with the fantasy of music. Now every huge obstacle shapes me as an artist.

Despite the breaks in my career, I’m so amazed that I’m still connected to my audience and can still look at the world with curiosity and believe that no dream has an expiration date. It’s no surprise that my social media algorithms are all geared towards inspirational quotes and affirmations. That level of optimism is something I’m very grateful for. Even when I couldn’t speak, I still didn’t think it would be the end of my career. Maybe it’s the sunny Aussie in me!

I also owe a lot of my positivity to the brilliant mentors who have helped me along the way. Gary Barlow from Take That has been a wonderful kindred spirit throughout my journey, and Olivia Newton-John has been a guide to me. Without forgetting my friends and my partner [musician Matthew Copley]which is amazing.

For now, I’m hoping for a few quiet years. This next chapter is all about good music and good people. I just had one of the best years of my life – I shot a movie with Netflix, I did an arena tour in Australia, then I hit the road with the Backstreet Boys for four months. Being on the bus every day with these guys, performing on stage in front of 20,000 people and hearing their amazing songs every night was the best. Howie Dorough even wore one of my merchandising t-shirts on stage.

Despite the fact that I was signed as a child, I didn’t have a bad experience like so many pop stars did in the 90s and 00s. Because I started so young, this career is everything. that I’ve known. In many ways, it saved me in time: When I joined The Voice with Seal and Keith Urban, I realized I was the baby of the group and could bring a playful edge to the show. . It was an interesting fusion of adult and children’s worlds, and a dynamic that I still like to hold on to.

Due to the physical nature of my job, I’m very much in athlete mode; I have to be disciplined with my voice and take my health seriously. But I’m still trying to find a balance between making sure I’m a current friend and partner and an evolving, moving forward artist. Student forever. Always happy on a stage, holding a ball.