Delta Goodrem’s debut album, ‘Innocent Eyes’, was released in 2003, when the singer, songwriter and Neighbours actress was just 18. With a massive 29 weeks at number one, it became Australia’s biggest selling album of all time.
Oddly, after all these years, this week’s show in The Academy will be Goodrem’s first ever Irish headline show. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Ireland, but I’ve been a coach on The Voice for ten years and doing a different variety of projects, and life just hadn’t led me back,” she says. “When the pandemic happened and I started doing live sessions from my living room, I saw people tuning in from Europe and I said I’d come over and do some songs. It seemed the perfect time. I found a reconnection to people through my phone,” she laughs.
The current tour will focus heavily on the 20th anniversary of ‘Innocent Eyes’. “The songs have obviously stayed a part of my life,” Goodrem says. “It can feel like yesterday when you go into the memory bank. Memories attach themselves to songs, and I think I’ve viewed the album differently throughout my life. It will forever be a treasured moment of time, but re-singing it at the moment is something I’m really enjoying it. It feels like a time to be united.”
“I’ve done a lot since the first album, so there will also be a mix taking in ‘Wings Of The Wild’ and ‘Child Of The Universe’ and songs from other albums. It’s exciting to kind of premiere some new stuff, as well. Like a full circle moment.”
“I have a request part where I just ask the audience what they want to hear, so anything can happen. I have to have pretty much every track ready to go, which scares my band a little. We found that the songs that people requested in the UK were deep cuts, but it’s been a long time coming, so let’s make it happen!”
Goodrem went through some serious medical issues a few years ago, including nerve damage that caused some paralysis, and difficulties speaking due to issues with a salivary gland. A recent book, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Dreams’, gave her a chance to expand on the backdrop to her songs, but she’s keen that her own meaning don’t eclipse what her music might mean to others.
“I always want the songs to be somebody else’s story too,” she says. “You feel differently throughout the course of making music, but you never really know what people are going through. Sometimes it’s about kindness and motivation. The album ‘Bridge Over Troubled Dreams’ was very autobiographical, very serious, and very much back to basics, a time to check in and heal at my piano.”
“I learnt from it that I love the sing-alongs, which came in part from spending a lot of time with Backstreet Boys last year. Losing my voice was a unique experience. People go through so much every day, but sharing the stories behind the music is important to dive into, it’s kind of like having a physical album and then going into the why.”
“I was headed over to the UK to start writing, and losing the ability to speak for a while, having to go to speech therapy was a journey, a bit of a reset. It stripped everything back again, and I had to surrender to that part of my life. I’m grateful that I’m talking and singing away today!”
