Delta Goodrem

Goodrem was born on 9 November 1984,[3][4] to Lea (née Parker) and Denis Goodrem.[5][6] She has a younger brother, Trent.[7]

Goodrem appeared in an American advertisement aged seven for the Galoob toy company, alongside fellow Australian Bec Cartwright,[8] and began playing piano at the same age while taking up singing, dancing and acting lessons. She appeared in adverts for companies such as Optus and Nesquik, and had several minor roles in episodes of Australian television shows including Hey Dad..!, A Country Practice, and Police Rescue.[9]

While residing at Glenhaven, Goodrem attended the Hills Grammar School in neighbouring Kenthurst, from kindergarten until Year 11. She is known to return to her alma mater for visits.[10]

At the age of thirteen, Goodrem recorded a five-song demo CD, financed through her television work.[11] It was sent to the Sydney Swans (of which Goodrem is a supporter) and they passed it onto Glenn Wheatley.[12][13] Wheatley signed Goodrem to an artist development deal with independent label, Empire Records.[14]

Between June 1999 and September 2000, Goodrem worked with producers Paul Higgins and Trevor Carter on thirteen tracks for an album to be called Delta.[13] A later report on these sessions described Goodrem as "an ambitious 15-year-old keen to emulate the pop sound of the Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Mandy Moore."[15] Most of the tracks were written by Carter, although Goodrem co-wrote two and self-wrote the song "Love". Goodrem did a photoshoot for the album (some of the photos have surfaced), and recorded a home-made style music video for the song "Say" which has since leaked onto the internet.[16] Higgins took the album to Village Roadshow, which offered to market and distribute the album, but the deal was blocked by Goodrem's parents. The album has yet to surface, though it became the subject of a lawsuit in 2004.[14]

At the age of 15, Goodrem signed a record deal with Sony[17] and began work on an album of pop–dance songs including the unsuccessful debut single, "I Don't Care", which peaked at number sixty four on the ARIA Singles Chart in November 2001.[13] The album and proposed second single "A Year Ago Today" were pushed aside as a result, allowing Goodrem and Sony to re-evaluate her future musical direction. In 2002, Goodrem took up the role as shy school girl and aspiring singer Nina Tucker in the popular soap Neighbours, which helped re-launch Goodrem's music career.[18][19] The piano-based ballad "Born to Try", co-written by Audius Mtawarira, premiered on the show and reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and number three in the UK. Born to Try was certified triple Platinum in Australia for sales of over 210,000 copies.[20] Goodrem's role on the show scored her a Logie for "Most Popular New Talent" at the 2003 Logie Awards[21] In January 2003, "Lost Without You" topped the ARIA Singles Chart and reached number four in the UK. it was certified double platinum for sales over 140,000 copies in Australia.[20]

Goodrem's largely self-penned debut album, Innocent Eyes, was released on 24 March 2003 in Australia and debuted at number one on the ARIA Album Charts, breaking Australian records previously held by John Farnham's Whispering Jack (1986) by staying at number one for 29 consecutive weeks, while tying with Neil Diamond's Hot August Night (1972) as the second-longest charting number one album with a total of 29 weeks at top spot. It was the highest-selling album in Australia of 2003[22] and sold 1.2 million copies in Australia, and over 4 million worldwide.[23] The album also charted highly in the UK, peaking at number two. The album's third single "Innocent Eyes" again reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and number nine in the UK. it was certified Platinum in Australia for sales over 70,000 copies.[20]

On 8 July 2003, at the age of 18, Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.[24] She was forced to put all working commitments on hold while undertaking treatment for the disease. In an exclusive interview with The Australian Women's Weekly, Goodrem revealed that, since 2002, she had suffered from a head-to-toe rash, fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, and a lump on her neck.[25] "I was doing sit-ups when I felt something pop in my neck. I reached down and I felt a small lump at the base of my throat. It wasn't sore, it wasn't visible, but I could feel it."[25] As part of her treatment, Goodrem undertook chemotherapy, which resulted in the loss of her hair, and radiation therapy.[25] The news of her diagnosis made newspaper and television headlines and an outpouring of support was shown by fans and the general public alike. Goodrem thanked them during The Visualise Tour for all the letters and well wishes she received.

The album's fourth single, "Not Me, Not I", was released following the announcement Goodrem had been diagnosed with cancer. It became her fourth consecutive number one single in Australia, overtaking the previous effort of three number-ones from Kylie Minogue's debut album, Kylie (1988).[26] It was certified Platinum for sales over 70,000 copies.[20] In early August, Goodrem announced she would not renew her contract with Glenn Wheatley. Her mother, Lea Goodrem, replaced him as her manager.[27] Later that month, Goodrem won seven ARIA Awards, including "Best Female Artist", surpassing Natalie Imbruglia's previous record of six awards in 1999.[28] As Delta was too unwell to perform at the ceremony herself, singer Darren Hayes performed a rendition of "Lost Without You" as a tribute, bringing an overwhelmed Goodrem to tears. Her first full-length DVD Delta became the highest-selling music DVD by an Australian artist in Australia ever, with a certification of 11x platinum.[29] The Australian-only release "Predictable" became her fifth consecutive number one on the ARIA Singles Chart in December and was certified double Platinum for sales of over 140,000 copies.[20]

After announcing in late December 2003 that she was in remission, Goodrem began work on her second studio album. Goodrem received two nominations at the 2004 Logie Awards including a Gold Logie nomination for "Most Popular Personality on Australian Television".

In March 2004, while Goodrem was still undergoing cancer treatment, Paul Higgins and Trevor Carter announced plans to release the album they had recorded with the then 15 year-old Goodrem in 1999 and 2000. They shopped the album around and ignited a bidding war amongst record companies.[15] After the success of Innocent Eyes, industry experts expected that bidding for the album could attract figures anywhere between $1.5 million and $15 million.[30] When Goodrem and her family disapproved of the album's release, a lawsuit was filed. Goodrem's lawyers claimed the album was made up of unfinished demo recordings which were not fit for commercial release.[30] After much coverage in the media, the case was settled in mediation. In exchange for not releasing the album, Higgins and Carter received an unspecified payout.[13]

In September 2004, she became the face of soft drink company Pepsi in Australia, appearing on the product, billboards, TV advertisements and performing an exclusive show for competition winners.[31][32] In October Goodrem launched her own lingerie line titled "Delta by Annabella".[33]

Goodrem's second album Mistaken Identity, was released in Australia on 8 November 2004 and debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums chart. It was certified five times platinum for sales of 350,000 copies.[34] The album spent 46 weeks in the top fifty. It also reached number seven in New Zealand, and peaked at number 25 in the UK. The album's lead single "Out of the Blue", which was co-written and produced by Guy Chambers was released prior to the album on 8 October 2004. "Out of the Blue" debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and number nine in the UK. This was Goodrem's sixth straight number-one single in Australia. It was certified platinum in Australia.[35]

The second single "Mistaken Identity" released only in Australia debuted at number seven and was certified Gold.[36] "Almost Here", a duet with Irish singer Brian McFadden was released as the third single and reached number three in the UK and became her seventh ARIA number one, along with her first number one in Ireland. It was certified platinum in Australia.[36] "A Little Too Late" was released only in Australia and peaked at number 13. "Be Strong" was released as the album's fifth and final single in Australia as a digital download on 17 October 2005. At the time of release, digital downloads were not included as part of the main singles chart, therefore it was ineligible to chart. Much of the album, in particular "Extraordinary Day", was inspired by her battle with cancer.[16] Reflecting on that period of her life, Goodrem said "It's weird to see pictures of that time. In some ways the fact that I was so sick was so out there, and yet I kept it really private. No-one saw me on the days I was really sick. I was 18 when I was diagnosed and I had a number one album and single in the country. And in the UK, I was number two. It was such a bipolar year".[37][38]

Goodrem performing in Canberra in 2005

In March 2005, Goodrem starred in her first film role in Hating Alison Ashley, a film based on the children's novel by Robin Klein, with Goodrem acting the title character. The film performed poorly at the box office and was not a critical success, with some critics citing Goodrem's performance as too robotic and detached.[39] April 2005 saw Goodrem relocate to New York to launch her career in the United States with a re-worked version of "Lost Without You". She appeared in the last two episodes of the short-lived American series North Shore in a bid to gain greater exposure. "Lost Without You" proved to be modestly successful, peaking at number eighteen on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, but Goodrem was reportedly dissatisfied with its performance. Plans to release a hybrid of her first two albums were later terminated and Goodrem put America on hold. In July, Goodrem embarked on her first headline concert tour of Australia, The Visualise Tour. Ticket prices, $90 each, came under criticism for being higher than most international acts touring Australia at the time and this initially led to slow sales.[40] By the time the concerts were due to take place, many venues sold out after tickets were reduced to $60. Once the tour concluded, over 80,000 tickets had been bought in total making The Visualise Tour one of Australia's highest-selling local tours.[41] The Visualise Tour: Live in Concert was released in November and became Goodrem's second No. 1 DVD.

On 15 March 2006, Goodrem performed a new song, "Together We Are One", at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in front of 80,000 spectators and up to 1.5 billion television viewers worldwide. The song, written specifically for the event was released in Australia where it peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart.[42] It was performed by the Top 5 contestants on season five of "American Idol". In June 2006, Goodrem signed to Modest! Entertainment for her worldwide management.[43] In October 2006, Goodrem promoted in Japan with the release of an updated version of Innocent Eyes and the Japan-only single "Flawed", which reached number one on the Japanese download chart. The album peaked at number eight on the Japanese international chart (excluding Japanese artists) and number nineteen on the official Japanese album chart (including Japanese artists). In November, Goodrem appeared with Westlife on UK talent series The X Factor to perform a duet titled "All Out of Love", which appeared on the boyband's ninth LP, The Love Album. She was in Melbourne on Christmas Eve to headline the annual Carols by Candlelight.[44]

Goodrem performing at Melbourne's Federation Square in 2007

Goodrem's third studio album, the eponymous Delta, was released in Australia on 20 October 2007. Goodrem described the material as "...a lot lighter" compared to her previous album Mistaken Identity.[45] She has also stated, "As people become more aware of your life, they can pinpoint what songs are about. On this album, I've tried to remove a lot of that and just write great pop songs, songs that are from my heart but there's no baggage with them".[46][47] The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, making it her third number one album in her home country.[19] and received platinum certification for shipments of 70,000 records, though sales were much lower; only 23,000 copies were sold during the first week. In December the album was certified 2x platinum.[48] It eventually was certified 3x platinum in 2008.[49] In New Zealand, the album debuted at number twelve on the RIANZ Albums Chart.[50]

On 10 August 2007, Goodrem was in Los Angeles to film the music video for the album's lead single "In This Life", which is also the opening theme for the anime Deltora Quest, based on the novels by fellow Australian Emily Rodda. The video premiered on 31 August on Sunrise. "In This Life" was officially released on 15 September. It debuted at number one on the Australian Singles Chart, becoming Goodrem's eighth number-one single in Australia. It was certified platinum.[51]

The second single, "Believe Again" was released on 10 December. It debuted and peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Gold.[52] The third single, "You Will Only Break My Heart", was released on 29 March 2008 and peaked at number fourteen. The fourth single to be lifted from the album was "I Can't Break It to My Heart", which debuted and peaked at number thirteen.

In 2008, Goodrem focused on promoting music in Japan and the United States. She released "In This Life" on 23 January in Japan. She followed that up by releasing "Delta" on 20 February. The album peaked at number eight on the Japanese international chart and number 39 on the overall chart. The album sold almost 5,000 copies in its first week, 1,000 copies more than her previous album in Japan and overall sold over 30,000 copies in Japan.[53] In the United States, Goodrem released "In This Life" on 15 April 2008. "In This Life" was released to US radio on 9 April. It was first released to the Triple A radio format, and then to the Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary formats. On 17 June 2008, Goodrem appeared for the second time on any Billboard chart with the single, debuting at number 40 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart. The song later peaked at No. 21.[54] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the track sold 7,000 digital downloads in the week ending on 24 June 2008.[55] The song also charted at number 20 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Recurrents. The album was then released on 15 July 2008 in the United States and Canada under the label Mercury Records.[56] It peaked at number 18 on the U.S. iTunes Store. It later debuted at number 116 on the US Billboard Album Chart and No. 1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers with sales of 6,000 copies. Overall the album sold over 21,000 copies in the United States.[57][58]

In July 2008, it was announced that Goodrem would embark on a national tour of Australia, titled the Believe Again Tour.[59] She originally announced nine dates in seven cities, but later announced more shows, performing 14 in eight cities. The tour ran from 9 January to 4 February 2009. A concert DVD of the tour was released on 18 September 2009.[60] It was called Believe Again: Australian Tour 2009. It peaked at number one on the Australian ARIA DVD Chart and was certified Gold for sales over 7,500 copies.[61]

Goodrem also recorded a duet, "Right Here With You", with Olivia Newton-John to help raise money for Newton-John's cancer hospital in Melbourne.[62][63]

Goodrem was nominated for two awards at the 2008 ARIA Awards – Highest Selling Single and Highest Selling Album – and won the award for Highest Selling Album of 2008.[64] At the 2008 World Music Awards, held on 9 November in Monaco, Goodrem received her third World Music Award for World's Best Selling Australian Artist. In March 2010, Goodrem and Guy Sebastian were chosen by the Jackson estate to perform at the Australian launch of Michael Jackson's This Is It DVD.[65] The invitation-only event was attended by the film's director Kenny Ortega, Jackson's choreographer Travis Payne, and Jackson's brother Jackie Jackson.[66] Goodrem and Sebastian performed "Earth Song".[67]

Goodrem at the 2012 Logie Awards

On 24 November 2011, Goodrem was confirmed to be a part of the judging panel of the Australian version of The Voice which aired in early 2012, coaching alongside Keith Urban, Joel Madden, and Seal.[68] Some of Goodrem's decisions on the show sparked criticism, with comments she was "all style" and "little substance".[69] Rachael Leahcar was Goodrem's contestant in the final four. This was after Goodrem chose Leahcar over Glenn Cunningham, who was Goodrem's back up singer on her Believe Again Tour in 2009. Leahcar finished third. Goodrem returned for season two in 2013, again with Madden and Seal, with Ricky Martin replacing Urban. Goodrem's finalist for season two was Celia Pavey who also finished third.[70]

On 30 March 2012, Goodrem announced the release of her new single, "Sitting on Top of the World".[71] The song debuted and peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified double platinum. It also peaked at number twenty-three in New Zealand and was certified Gold. The album's second single, "Dancing with a Broken Heart" was released on 10 August 2012. It debuted and peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and is Goodrem's second lowest charting single to date. The third single, "Wish You Were Here", was released on 12 October 2012. It debuted at number seven on the ARIA Charts and later peaked at number five, and was certified Platinum. Goodrem's fourth studio album, Child of the Universe was released on 26 October 2012, which debuted at number two on the ARIA Charts and spent ten weeks in the top 50. It was certified Gold in its second with for sales of 35,000 copies. Along with the release of the album, Goodrem embarked on her tour, "An Evening with Delta: The Top of My World Shows", which supported the album release with a series of stripped-back shows, starting in Brisbane on 27 October then two Sydney shows on 31 October 2012 and 2 November 2012 and finishing with Melbourne on 7 and 8 November 2012. Rachael Leahcar was the tour's opening act.[72] Goodrem was featured on the album "Spirit of Christmas 2012", singing "Blue Christmas". In November, she also recorded a Christmas EP titled Christmas. It was released on 14 December 2012 in Australia and New Zealand.[73][74]

On 1 February 2013, it was confirmed that Goodrem had signed with US manager Irving Azoff.[75] Goodrem performed at the Mardi Gras in Sydney in March 2013. She performed dance version of some of her songs including "Born to Try", "Lost Without You", "Predictable", "Believe Again", "Child of the Universe" and "Sitting on Top of the World".[76] In May 2013, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu joined Goodrem for a special performance of "Bayini" on The Voice Australia, in celebration of National Reconciliation Week.[77] The song was later released on iTunes and debuted at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart on 10 June 2013.[78][79] On 17 June 2013, Goodrem released her new single "Heart Hypnotic", which she also performed on the live finale of The Voice.[80]

Goodrem celebrated 10 years since releasing her multi-platinum album Innocent Eyes which topped the Australian ARIA Charts and reached number two on the UK Albums Chart by releasing Innocent Eyes: Ten Year Anniversary Acoustic Edition on 29 November 2013, which debuted and peaked at number 22 on the ARIA Albums Chart. On 26 November 2013, it was announced that Goodrem would not be returning to The Voice Australia for the third season in 2014 but instead chose to be a part of the new Australian version of The Voice Kids.[81] Goodrem revealed on her Twitter account that the decision was made because this would give her more time on her music career and more time to work on her new album. The show premiered on 22 June 2014 and finished on 10 August.[82] Goodrem was a coach alongside Joel Madden, who teamed up with his brother Benji Madden, and Mel B. Darren McMullen hosted The Voice Kids while also remaining on the original version.[83] Goodrem attended the 2014 AACTA Awards where she performed "Kissing You" in tribute to Baz Luhrmann's film Romeo + Juliet.[84] Goodrem joined the Australian and New Zealand leg of Andrea Bocelli's Passion For Life Tour in September 2014.[85] To celebrate being part of the tour, Goodrem released a cover of Martika's 1991 single "Love... Thy Will Be Done" on 12 September 2014.[86][87]

Goodrem at the 2016 Logie Awards

It was announced on 13 January 2015, that Goodrem was returning as a judge The Voice Australia for the show's fourth season.[88] Goodrem's single "Only Human" was released on 13 March to coincide with her return as Nina Tucker for Neighbours' 30th anniversary.[89][90] She returned for three episodes starting from 16 March.[91][92] Goodrem also appeared in a documentary special celebrating the anniversary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK.[93][94] She joined the Australian leg of Ricky Martin's One World Tour in April as his supporting act.[90][95][96] She also revealed that she has been working with DNA and Jon Hume.[97]

On 24 July 2015, Goodrem released "Wings" as the lead single from her fifth studio album Wings of the Wild. The song peaked at number one on the ARIA Charts and was certified double platinum.[98][99] Goodrem also promoted the single in New Zealand and the UK.[100] From October 2015 to February 2016, Goodrem made her musical theatre debut playing Grizabella in an Australian version of Cats. She performed the role in the Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne and Brisbane legs of the show.[101][102] "Dear Life" was released on 6 May 2016 as the second single from Wings of the Wild.[103][104] The single debuted and peaked at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart and was later certified Platinum.[99] "Enough" featuring American rapper Gizzle was released as the third single on 24 June 2016 and debuted at number forty six on the ARIA Singles Chart. It later peaked at number twenty seven in its third week on the chart. Wings of the Wild was released on 1 July 2016.[105][106] "The River" was later released with a story music video for the tour in September 2016, while she was in New Zealand.[107]

Goodrem made her debut on the television drama House Husbands in 2017.[108] In 2017, she became the V8 Supercars Australia ambassador, promoting the sport and being the official performer at the racing events throughout the year.[109][110]

In 2017, an advertisement for Apple Music featuring Goodrem was criticised by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) for promoting unsafe driving. Complaints about the video to the bureau stated that it "does not promote safe driving" and features Goodrem placing her head and arms outside a moving a vehicle and "moving around in a motor vehicle with no clearly visible safety belt". In response to the complaints, Apple Inc. said that it felt "confident" that the advertisement did not breach the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Advertiser Code of Ethics standards and saw no issues relating to car safety, with both individuals in the car wearing lap seat belts. The ASB said that people may not realise that vintage cars are fitted with lap seatbelts which are not clearly seen in the video. The advertisement was pulled from screening and would not re-air until Apple re-edited it with all parts featuring Goodrem's arms and hands outside of the car window removed.[111]

On 15 February 2018, Goodrem released a single, "Think About You", which was also released for streaming and download on her website on 16 February 2018. The song was written by Goodrem in collaboration with songwriters Julian Bunetta and John Ryan. "Think About You" is described as being a "feel good, upbeat song with an irresistible catchy groove", yet is also noted for its cheeky sexualised lyrics that earned it to be called a "sexy upbeat banger" by reviewers.[112][113][114] Goodrem reinvented her look which included colouring her hair darker for this promotional video.[115]

Goodrem played Olivia Newton-John in the Newton-John biopic called Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You and released a covers soundtrack album called I Honestly Love You in May 2018.[116][117][118]

Goodrem announced in December 2019 that she was "living in a music bubble", working on her sixth studio album.[119] In January 2020, she released a charity single, "Let It Rain", in aid of the 2019–2020 bushfires in Australia. She was inspired to write "Let It Rain" after seeing the devastation from the bushfires across Australia. She teamed with Apple Music, Sony Music and iHeart radio for the release. All proceeds went to aid with Red Cross bushfire relief.

While continuing to work on The Voice, Goodrem released the singles "Keep Climbing" and "Paralyzed" and announced the Bridge Over Troubled Dreams Tour of Australia and New Zealand,[120] scheduled to begin in April 2021.

Goodrem described her then-forthcoming sixth studio album upon the release of "Paralyzed" to be "a nod to [my old stuff] sonically speaking in terms of what I was listening to, and getting re-inspired by", further adding "I needed to kind of go back to what I used to do. I had to give myself the freedom to be a little eccentric again. With some of the other songs on the new record, I definitely allowed myself to change tempos; to not have a structure. And at the same time, to have hopefully enough catchiness for somebody to still grab hold of it. There’s definitely still both sides of the coin."[121] In an interview with Grazia, Goodrem referred to the album as her "first 'woman' record", further explaining "my next album has really been about being transparent and finding that part of me that wants to be my authentic self at all times. The album is incredibly personal, raw and honest. I have opened up and shared stories that I have not shared before and people have really resonated to the transparency and vulnerability. I just want to make good music for people to have as soundtracks to their own lives."[122]

On 12 November 2020, with no prior announcement and despite teasing an album of original material, Goodrem released her sixth studio album and first Christmas album, Only Santa Knows.[123] To support the album, Goodrem announced her own Christmas special Christmas with Delta, which aired on Nine Network on 12 December.[124]

In early December 2020, Goodrem left The Voice for a second time.[125]