Fans get a taste of what is to come on Delta Goodrem‘s most authentic piece of work yet from her latest single, “Keep Climbing.” The Voice Australia judge opens up about her battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at 18 years old, and her personal highs and lows throughout the years in her upcoming studio album. Delta spoke to HollywoodLife.com in an EXCLUSIVE interview about the body of work that she calls “incredibly personal, raw and honest.”
“I feel strong in this chapter of my life and I know who I am as an artist,” she told HL. “I have not tried to chase a sound and this album and body of work is me being my authentic self musically. In creating this album, I wanted to hear all the songs with live musicians. Every song I started at the piano. Every instrument is recorded live and there is a cohesive sound that has been captured.”
Delta continued, “The main thing with this album has been stripping back the layers of protecting myself. I have been in TV and music since I was very young and so much of my life has been in the public eye. As a result, some of my previous songs were veiled in metaphors. This album is incredibly personal, raw and honest. I have opened up and shared stories that I have not shared before and people have really responded to the transparency & vulnerability.”
HollywoodLife: Tell me about “Keep Climbing” and how it teases what is to come from the studio album?
Delta Goodrem: “Keep Climbing” is the first song off my 6th studio album and really the best first song for me to kick off this next album. I had been thinking about the type of song that I wanted to share next with people. It’s the idea of sometimes feeling caught in the middle of where you are and where you want to go in life. That no journey in life is without its ups and downs. It talks about the uncertainty and the idea of taking a leap of faith. Like all of us, I’ve had those stops and starts and I’ve realized that having goals and aspirations requires crossing many mountains to achieve my goals. It can be really hard and this song is about resilience and hope and to encourage each other to “keep climbing.”
HL: How did you make the decision to get vulnerable and open up about your cancer battle and more with your upcoming studio album?
DG: A lot of time has passed since I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and so now, I felt like I was ready to talk more about it in my music and that people were not going to define me from that period of time in my life. I recently launched the Delta Goodrem Foundation and one of our first initiatives is funding cancer research in cellular therapy. It is a field of medicine that holds great promise for how patients (including patients with a diagnosis like mine with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) will be treated in the future.
HL: Have you been writing in quarantine?
DG: I was finishing up this album and planning on touring this year, when like so many people, my plans were changed. I was not expecting to go back into the studio, but I went back in and began writing about how I was feeling during this unique time we’re all going through. On April 2nd, I did my first “bunkerdown session”; an instagram and facebook live session as a way to connect with people & to bring music into their homes while we were quarantined. It has turned into 13 weeks, every Thursday at 6:30pm; taking song requests, playing b sides and deep cuts from previous albums, talking to people live from around the world at the end of the session and it was during one of these “bunkerdown sessions” that I decided to release “Keep Climbing.”
HL: What has been keeping you inspired?
DG: It’s hard not to find inspiration right now when we’re all feeling so much. I am feeling so much about what is going on in the world. Everybody is feeling so much in this gigantic consciousness reset.
HL: How has it been filming The Voice in the midst of this pandemic?
DG: Incredibly different. The blind auditions and the battle rounds were filmed before the COVID-19 lockdown. Since then, the team has worked hard to find the safest scenario to proceed with the remainder of the season. The show’s set has been completely rebuilt to adhere to social distancing and government guidelines. We have a virtual audience instead of a live audience. I am extremely tactile by nature and it has been hard not to be able to interact with the artists on my team as I normally would but in spite of all the changes, we have found a way to navigate it all and still be able to continue with the show.
HL: As a Voice judge, what are you looking for in building your team?
DG: This is my 9th year on The Voice. Every year I look for something different. I always look for those artists that are truly ready to put in the work. The first mentoring session with the artists are a good indicator – are the ready to work? Are they professional? In addition to being talented, it’s important to me that the artist is a good person and professional.
You can listen to “Keep Climbing” here, and keep an eye out for a release date for her upcoming studio album!