Delta: ‘It is a big change in my life’

After hitting a major career milestone, Delta Goodrem has opened up about the death of her friend ONJ - and why she’s living in the moment.

It’s fair to say that Delta Goodrem is entering a new era. As she looks back on her recent US tour and forward to her return as a racing ambassador on home turf, the singer opens up in an emotional chat with Stellar about how she’s “still processing” the loss of her musical mentor Olivia Newton-John – and why the Aussie icon’s death has changed her.

If there’s one thing Delta Goodrem carries with her from late friend and mentor Olivia Newton-John, it’s to live in the moment – and not take anything for granted.

Goodrem tells Stellar that she is still coming to grips with the Australian music icon’s death in August at the age of 73, following a long battle with cancer.

Asked if Newton-John’s passing calcified a desire not to waste any of life’s opportunities, Goodrem – who is adding another notch to her belt by returning as an ambassador for the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) at this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival – replies: “That’s a really strong, beautiful and true observation.

“It is a big change in my life losing a dear friend and mentor.

“I think we all feel it. And [as for] Olivia, I will keep sharing her light and her important health and wellness mission,” she continues.

“That’s important. I have always shared my love for Olivia, and this won’t change. It has definitely been a big change in my life… I’m still processing it.”

Delta Goodrem reflects on her decades-long friendship with Olivia Newton-John. Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar.

It is fitting, then, that Goodrem has been announced for a third year as a Melbourne Cup Carnival ambassador, given it was an event that Newton-John frequented both as a performer and a guest.

And also that Goodrem’s appearance last month alongside Robbie Williams at the AFL grand final was seen by some as a sartorial tribute to Newton-John.

She took the stage in a metallic pink strapless corset and matching pants, an outfit reminiscent of the skin-tight ensemble Newton-John wore as Sandy in the 1978 film Grease.

In another nod to her close friend of nearly two decades, Goodrem will also perform at the VRC Chairman’s dinner, where Newton-John sang in 2009.

Goodrem’s return as an ambassador for the VRC at this year’s Carnival will also see her take part in Lexus Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington on November 1; she has long been associated with the sport, having sung the national anthem at the landmark event in 2007, and will again perform at an invitation-only Chairman’s lunch as well as the Kennedy Oaks Club Lunch on November 2.

“This year, there will be people everywhere and hopefully the sun will be shining,” she says.

“There will be festivities for all, whether it’s fashion, seeing the beautiful gardens or the racing. I’m just so excited to see it back in full swing.

“What I love about the Melbourne Cup is there’s so much to choose from. I love that Cup Day unites the nation where we’re all watching, we’re all getting dressed up, spending time with friends and family and most importantly, having fun. It’s a real moment to celebrate togetherness.”

Delta Goodrem: ‘I have always shared my love for Olivia, and this won’t change’ Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar.

Delta Goodrem: ‘This is a great era of my life’ Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar.

She is also enthusiastic about the VRC adding, for the first time in its history, an inclusive, gender-neutral take on Myer Fashions on the Field.

“I love the tradition,” she says of race-day attire. “You don’t have to ask me twice to love the extra mile people will take when it comes to beautiful hats and the glamour of getting dressed up and feeling good for the day. “And this year... the competition is more inclusive, which is wonderful.

“Being at Flemington Racecourse during the Melbourne Cup Carnival is incredibly beautiful,” she adds.

“I love seeing everybody being bold, having fun with outfits and dressing exactly how you want to or [in] whatever you want. I want everyone to be their full-hearted selves.”

Outside of this latest partnership, Goodrem is enjoying a greater sense of freedom and an attitude to match.

“This is a great era of my life where I do feel like different experiences are coming together,” she reveals.

“I’ve been in the industry my entire life and this is a really great chapter where I do feel the freedom of ‘I’m doing what I love to do, I’m up on stage performing all the time.’

“There has been a lot of variety in my life,” she continues. “I have a greater sense of stories I tell through music and my concerts; I see people come into a show and all I want is to be united in that room and for everyone to have a great time.

“And from this past couple of years, when it comes to music, it reminds me even more just what I love about [it]. My drive is that love, and having beautiful connections with people when we do performances.”

Delta Goodrem will tour with the Backstreet Boys and Andrea Bocelli later this year. Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar.

The pandemic’s impact on the music industry over the past few years saw the singer adapt the way she approached her career.

“It changed a lot of people’s thought processes and paths,” she explains. “There was a lot of change for everyone. I’m always learning, always growing and, at the same time, also enjoying bringing different experiences into what I’m doing.”

After seven albums, countless tours and a successful acting career, Goodrem remains as committed to her craft today as she was when she started in the business at age 15.

Since Covid restrictions eased and global travel resumed, she has stayed busy.

Earlier this year, she landed a touring spot with US pop group theBackstreet Boys, and when she speaks with Stellar, Goodrem is on the phone from the UK, ahead of playing two sold-out gigs at Lafayette London – her first show there in several years – and another sold-out show in Berlin.

“I’m a very patriotic Australian, but I love that you can be so connected to the world from wherever you are, then come over to the other side of the world and do performances and know that people are still connected,” she says.

“People are loving being out and going to shows again and I feel grateful to be back travelling again, seeing people’s faces and connecting once more in person.”

This November will mark the 20th anniversary of Goodrem’s wildly successful debut single ‘Born To Try’, which topped the charts and scored her two ARIA Awards in 2003. It is a milestone that she intends to celebrate.

“I have some exciting plans coming up for that,” she tells Stellar.

“That song and the subsequent record [Innocent Eyes] was such a special time in my life and such a unique time, that’s for sure.

Of course, 20 years is hard to believe. I said when I first started in the music industry [that] I was in it for the long haul. I will still ride the different waves and the different chapters and continue to have the same intention of just doing my very best through music.”

Delta Goodrem stars on the cover of this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar.

The singer is joining Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on stage at two of his shows when he visits later this month.

“I was looking at it yesterday and I toured 2009, 2010, 2014 and now 2022 with Andrea,” she reveals. I love that there’s a continuation.

“When I asked him last year if he would do my Christmas special, straight away he said yes. He’s been such a great collaborator through my career.

“It has been a unique year, from touring with the Backstreet Boys to singing with Andrea or Robbie Williams. I’m a gypsy – I go wherever the music goes.”

Delta Goodrem will perform at the VRC Kennedy Oaks Club Lunch on November 2. For tickets, visit vrc.com.au.

Originally published as Delta: ‘It is a big change in my life’