Delta Goodrem

A: You were pretty young when you first put out the album. How did you cope with the pressures of being thrown into the public eye?



D: My intention came from my love of music and people and my curiosity and wonder for the human experience; I didn't have another intention I was fazed by. I didn't have a drive to be famous. I love music, performing, and writing. And I think you have to love the arts and the craft. I looked at that [fame] part of it as it is what it is. It is just a part of it. And I have respect for it. And I always tried to go: I am responsible for being in the public eye. I've not always got it right, but I took it on and didn't try to fight it.



I grew up with paparazzi outside my house at 15 years old, and it takes a long time to get comfortable when you walk into a room and the entire room looks at you. You can hear those conversations and step into a very different psychology. I can notice a rhythm with certain people and their responses. I'm so lucky because, in Australia, I'm a big part of the furniture where I've grown up with everybody. It felt like the people there had held my music in their hearts. It has been overwhelming and wonderful. I've loved this next chapter. It feels like I'm going into the best chapter of my life and really enjoying it. But it took me years to not be shy- I mean, not shy, but sometimes I accept that if I don't want to feel like that, I just stay in.



A: I can only imagine having set boundaries firmly and people crossing things. I love going down the road to the petrol station and not worrying about who's looking at me.



D: That's the coolest part about being in it for so long and in this industry my whole life. I feel strong in my own space, again, with the interactions. I don't notice it as much anymore. I may be too unaware! It's never been a drive. You accept that this comes with music, and if someone comes up and wants to talk about the music in their hearts or you've been a part of a chapter of their life, what a beautiful thing!



A: But when you hear that with fans, it must be overwhelmingly warm for people to have their connections with your music.



D: It's a beautiful connection, a deep connection. When you're onstage and see people singing along, you want them to see their lives. It's not about me; it's about them. When you hear those songs, you think of singing them in your life; that's my role - being a mirror for your soundtrack to your life. That's how I look at music; they are meant to be somebody's puzzle pieces to their journey.



A: You've released new music with your single 'Hearts On The Run'; what's been different in writing, where are you now with your music, and what do you want to convey in it?



D: I think we have just been on the go. The world opened back up, so we've been on tour. We started with the Backstreet Boys tour and then headed over to my first Europe tour in forever. We had two tours last year, with the Innocent Eyes anniversary tour. So I was on the road and then went again. Performing live is my favourite thing. Hearts On The Run had that high-energy feeling when the world opened up; everything got so fast because we had to learn to get efficient again. Everybody became like Swiss Army knives, having so many parts to do it all! My music started to have that high energy, so we thought, let's keep going!



With Hearts On The Run, I was writing from a place where I can't stop now. You have to keep up that energy. And at that moment, you think about how can we keep going?! It's like you're in a marathon, and my knees and legs are getting tired. This song reminded me of what you're made of once you find love like my heart is on the run. I wrote that lyric from a place with everyone with me, like my band, and we're on the run together. So that was where that song came from.



A: Do you have that worry that if you stop and take a moment, you won't know how to return to that pace again?



D: No, I'd be happy to put my feet up and have a Piña Colada on the beach! I am perfectly comfortable with that concept!



If you want something done, ask a busy person. The busier I get, the more I get done, and I love the number of projects, whatever project we're on. I love diving into the project, but it is essential to spend time in nature if you're driven and like the Go! Go! Go! It will do you the greater good, even just for a couple of days, to get quiet and space around your mind and to be able to hear your thoughts and take notes. When you have lots going on and are always working and processing information, it is exhausting to be truth-hunting constantly. [To help relax] It's jazz music; I love to put on jazz music. That would not have been my answer if you'd asked me that as a teenager. But now, I love playing jazz music, drinking red wine, and keeping a peaceful environment while busy. That's important.



A: And I love that you have your go-to guilty pleasures. Mine recently has been Married at First Sight Australia



D: Trash TV is part of my switch-off! Love is Blind. I'm obsessed with The Circle on Netflix at the moment. You name it. I love all.



A: About the book that you wrote, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams. How was it putting some of the challenges from your life to paper?



D: Say you and I are writing a song, you dive in, and you go, okay, what are you feeling today? What am I feeling? What happened during the week? And when I was writing [Bridge Over Troubled Dreams], I was doing that. So, wouldn't it make sense to share the stories? This song was written when I went viral after attending a Beyonce concert. I had all these different pockets of stories I had experienced and looked at it like an album booklet.



A: Was it triggering at points writing the book?



D: I'd already written the songs about [my experiences]. There's beauty in writing the songs because the music can marry a story or a moment in time with a sound. It's a beautiful healing power. When I hear the song 'Paralysed' or 'Keep Climbing', I love hearing the first chords. And it takes me to that feeling of what that song is saying [that feeling] when you're in between the place of where you were and where you want to go. And I love that the chords match that sentiment. So, it's marrying that kind of sound with a story.