Delta Goodrem reveals the secrets behind new tour and album
Aussie songbird Delta Goodrem has revealed the stories behind her next album, what fans can expect from her 2021 tour and how Elton John has inspired her.
Hibernation
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hibernation. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Exclusive: Delta Goodrem’s DIY iso-entertainment, her weekly Bunker Down Sessions, proved one thing.
Her diehard fans know the more obscure ends of her backcatalogue better than she does.
At the start of isolation Goodrem decided a Thursday night concert on social media, live from her home, would give her – and her fans – a routine and something to look forward to.
Rather than just playing her hits, she’d take requests for b-sides, deep cuts from albums and cover versions.
Early on in the sessions, fans bombarded her Instagram asking for her song Rise.
“I was thinking ‘Rise? I’ve never written a song called Rise’,” Goodrem says. “They must have the wrong artist?”
They did not. Rise was a B-side (remember them) from her 2012 hit Wish You Were Here.
A quick Google refreshed her memory.
“Of course the fans were right. There have been a lot of songs along the journey … I swear my ride or die tribe know more of my songs than I do, it’s official.
“Every single week I’ve been challenged on old songs and b-sides. I knew all the album tracks and b-sides of the acts I grew up with and you’d never get to hear them live. So it’s been a joy to play them. I’ve loved getting to sing at home, doing it on the fly, playing people’s requests, being in the moment. And I’ve fallen back in love with a lot of those songs. B-sides like (2016’s) You and You Alone, you think now, why didn’t that make the album?”
Rise was quickly rehearsed and joined the many songs she’d never performed live before.
Last Thursday was the 14th and final – for now – Bunker Down Sessions. “It’ll be the one where we’re on a break,” Goodrem says in Friends parlance.
“I still want to find something it’ll evolve into, there’s a lot of new music coming up, very soon.”
There’s also her first national in four years, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams, taking place next April and May.
The tour takes its name from the working title of recent single Keep Climbing and will be influenced by the connection she’s continued through the Bunker Down Sessions.
“It felt like there were no walls between us, people were in my living room. I’d always said on tour it felt like people were coming over to my house.
“It’s also exhilarating to be on the spot. Part of my personality as a live performer is that no two live shows are the same. I pride myself on having a spontaneous nature on stage as well as having the arc of the show. The idea of announcing the tour now is we have something in the future together to look forward to. There’s still a lot of challenges to get through with COVID, but hopefully by next year the venues will be back open for us, we’re obviously going along with the guidelines.”
It’s already been a busy year for Goodrem. She rush-released Let It Rain, a charity single written in response to the bushfire tragedy (she’d later perform it at the Fire Fight Australia concert). Keep Climbing followed, as well as returning to work on The Voice, first before COVID, then during lockdown.
“We started the season with these artists, they weren’t sure they’d get to sing again so it was very special they got to come back and keep going.”
Last week Goodrem promised eliminated 12-year-old Emmagen Rain she’d give her a first-hand look at how her next tour would work.
“I was very young when I started my career, I remember I had moments where I got to see how the industry works, and I’ll do that for Emmagen. I continue being a mentor for a lot of my artists, even when the cameras stop.”
Goodrem is preparing for the release of her sixth album, much of which was recorded in Los Angeles.
“I dreamt about the tour as I was making this record. Every single song was recorded live. Every single note you hear is a human giving their heartbeat to it. I got the best players I could imagine on this record, a lot from John Mayer’s band.”
A major influence on the as-yet-unnamed new album is Elton John – Goodrem went to his farewell show in Sydney last year while making the record.
“I was so inspired, he’s the master, he has such a huge heart and his performance was incredible. He’s someone I always looked up to, and he has really influenced this record. Which is a full circle moment for me, right at the start he influenced me as someone who loved playing the piano. Revolving the next album and tour around the energy of the piano is a really important factor in this next chapter.”
Also playing a huge part of the record – Matthew Copley, Goodrem’s boyfriend. While she politely declines to discuss their private relationship, their working partnership and chemistry has been evident on the Bunker Down Sessions – even with the occasional duet.
“The Bunker Downs have given us a real chance as musicians under the same roof to share what we absolutely love in music, to get creative with all the different songs. We want to bring that to the live shows too. Matthew is an incredible musician who has also written and produced a lot of the new album with me.”
Goodrem suggests the new album will have moments with the “back to basics” feel of her million-selling debut Innocent Eyes.
“It’s dramatic, it’s quirky, there’s some throwbacks. COVID is teaching us it’s not about perfection, it’s about transparency, realness and rawness. Real instruments, true feelings. I’m going into stories I’ve never told before. I’ll get to go even deeper into those stories live, but have fun. I’m all about the heart and soul, but having a great night, you should feel empowered and inspired when you leave the show. That’s important to me.”
Also important is the fact $1 from each ticket to her tour going to the newly established Delta Goodrem Foundation, raising money for cancer research at St Vincent’s Hospital – where Goodrem herself was a patient.
“It’s the time in my life to direct my energy and support into something so important as the Foundation and the work they’re doing on cell therapy” Goodrem says. “I got into music with the intention of always wanting to give my heart and spread kindness. The Foundation gives me a hub, I couldn’t be prouder, I hope it’s one of my greatest legacies, I want to continue to impact peoples’ lives in a really positive way.”
Delta Goodrem, Brisbane Entertainment Centre April 8, Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre April 9, Qudos Bank Arena Sydney April 10, Royal Theatre Canberra April 13, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong April 15, Adelaide Entertainment Centre April 16, RAC Arena Perth April 17, Townsville Entertainment Centre April 29, Newcastle Entertainment Centre May 1, Margaret Court Arena Melbourne May 2. Pre-sales start 10am Wed, general on sale midday Friday.
Originally published as Delta Goodrem reveals the secrets behind new tour and album