Last month, the rest of the world discovered Delta Goodrem.
Thanks to Global Citizen’s ‘One World: Together At Home’ virtual concert, a bunch of international artists including Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Taylor Swift, and our very own Delta Goodrem joined forces to bring music to homes around the world.
Performing from her Sydney home alongside her boyfriend Matthew Copley, the 35-year-old singer performed ‘Together We Are One’.
Watch a snippet from Delta Goodrem’s One World: Together At Home performance below. Post continues after video.
After the performance aired, international viewers were quick to praise the ‘Born To Try’ singer.
“Whoever Delta Goodrem is, she is astounding,” one viewer wrote on Twitter.
“I don’t know who Delta Goodrem is but OH MY GOD THAT VOICE,” another said.
“Am I the only one who’d never heard of Delta Goodrem before? What a remarkable voice,” another commented.
Yep, the world has finally caught on to the genius of Australia’s sweetheart.
Following Goodrem’s One World performance, we decided to take a look back at her long life in the spotlight.
Here’s what we discovered:
Delta Goodrem’s early life.
Delta Goodrem’s career in the spotlight began at the young age of seven, while she was attending the Hills Grammar School in Kenthurst.
At the time, the now 35-year-old appeared in an American advertisement for a toy company alongside another famous Aussie, Bec Cartwright (Hewitt).
As a young child and teen, Goodrem appeared in a few more advertisements for companies including Nesquik and Optus, and had a number of minor roles in TV shows including A Country Practice and Hey Dad..!
After recording a five-song demo at the age of 13, Goodrem was signed by Sony at just 15 years old.
Delta Goodrem's career and cancer diagnosis.
Amid the start of her music career, Goodrem landed a role on Australian TV show Neighbours.
On the show, which also featured the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Kylie Minogue, Naomi Watts, and Margot Robbie over the years, Goodrem played shy school girl and aspiring singer Nina Tucker.
She appeared on the show from 2002 to 2005, landing her the Logie for Most Popular New Talent in 2003.
Goodrem's role in Neighbours also served a second purpose – launching her music career.
After 'Born To Try' premiered on the soap, the song quickly reached number one on the ARIA Single Chart, and even reached number three in the UK.
Listen to the latest episode of Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast, The Spill, below. Post continues after podcast.
The singer's next single, 'Lost Without You', topped the ARIA Singles Chart once again, before Goodrem's debut album Innocent Eyes debuted at number one on the ARIA Album Charts on March 24, 2003.
Just months after the album's release, Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in July 2003 at the age of 18.
Speaking to The Australian Women's Weekly, Goodrem shared that she had been experiencing symptoms including a head-to-toe rash, night sweats, fatigue, and weight loss since 2002.
"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," she said.
"It wasn't sore, it wasn't visible, but I could feel it."
Following her diagnosis, Goodrem was forced to put all working commitments on hold – including dropping out of Neighbours – as she began to undertake chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Speaking to WHO Magazine earlier this month, Goodrem opened up her diagnosis.
"It was like a bomb had gone off," she told the publication.
"I remember that when I was first told I had cancer, my body went into shock and I shook uncontrollably for the next 24 hours," she added.
In the interview, Goodrem recalled losing her hair due to chemotherapy.
"It was very hard to feel beautiful in an external sense," she admitted.
"My skin colour had a green tinge to it, there were a lot of steroid effects and it was hard to feel good."
While undergoing treatment, Goodrem won seven ARIA Awards. Although Goodrem attended the ceremony, singer Darren Hayes performed 'Lost Without You' as a tribute, as Goodrem was too unwell to perform.
After announcing that she was in remission, Goodrem released her second album, Mistaken Identity, in November 2004, which debuted at number one. Many of the songs on the album were inspired by her experience with cancer.
"It's so weird to see pictures of that time," Goodrem recalled.
"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," she added.
"I was 18 when I was diagnosed and I had a number one album and single in the country."
Since Mistaken Identity, Goodrem has released Delta in 2007, Child of the Universe in 2012, and Wings of the Wild in 2016.
In 2011, Goodrem returned to the screen when she became a judge on The Voice Australia. She also portrayed Olivia Newton-John in biopic Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You in 2018.
Delta Goodrem's relationships.
Although Delta Goodrem generally keeps her relationships out of the spotlight, the performer has had a few high-profile relationships.
During her cancer treatment, Goodrem, then 19, briefly dated tennis player Mark Philippoussis in 2004.
Later that year, Goodrem began dating Irish musician Brian McFadden, who was an ex-member of boy band Westlife before launching a successful solo career.
Although the pair were engaged, the couple later ended their relationship in April 2011.
"This decision has been made with a lot of soul searching from both parties with the realisation that they have grown apart," a statement from the couple said at the time.
In an interview with Vogue Australia in 2012, Goodrem shed a negative light over their relationship.
"There is so much I’d like to say. I was really unhappy and I didn’t know how to get out. I learned. I got there in the end," she told the publication.
McFadden later retaliated through a Twitter rant.
"Sometimes silence is golden. People love to try and deflect attention from their own downfalls onto others," he wrote.
"And for the record. I’ve seen it all before! Randomly want to thank (then fiancée) Vogue Williams for making me the happiest man on the planet."
Following her split from McFadden, Goodrem dated Nick Jonas for 10 months before splitting in February 2012.
Goodrem later went on to work alongside Jonas' brother, Joe Jonas, on The Voice.
Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in 2018, Joe opened up about working alongside Goodrem.
"Delta was nearly your sister-in-law, is that weird?" co-host Kyle Sandilands asked Jonas.
"There's a few times it has been brought up and luckily it's like a brother-and-sister relationship [between Delta and I] and we can really mess with each other and have a good time," Jonas responded.
Since then, Goodrem has been dating musician Matthew Copley, who she met while touring. Copley appeared in Goodrem's One World performance last month and also performs with her on Instagram every Thursday night for Goodrem's 'The Bunkerdown Sessions' during isolation.
The singer opened up about her relationship and what it's like to perform with Copley in this week's issue of Stellar magazine.
"I am pretty consistent with saying to people that my private life is my private life, but we are spending isolation together and, in our household, we're both performers," she told the publication.
"It's a relationship of respect. Matt is an incredible musician and we really enjoy working together," she continued.
"Music is how we met, it's what we both do, so it's really about just being creative in the household."
The pair first met while on tour back in 2017 and later confirmed they were dating in January 2018.
Goodrem has since kept their relationship fairly private after deciding several years ago that she wouldn’t let that part of her life define her.
"At that time I felt there was a bit too much tabloid gossip in my life and I wasn’t driving that. I grew up always willing to give my heart and soul to everybody in public, but I realised that no longer included sharing that side of me and I don’t think I have to. I’m not that person and that’s not my vibe," she told the publication.
Delta Goodrem also briefly dated Guy Sebastian, although it's unclear when their relationship took place.
In 2015, Guy shocked, well, everyone when he told The Kyle and Jackie O show about the pair’s romantic history.
"A long time ago, I’d just won Idol… and I dated my pass, believe it or not," he said on air.
"You know how you talk about your pass? Hers [his now-wife Jules] was Heath Ledger. Mine was Delta Goodrem.
"And I dated Delta, for a few months. No one knew about it."
Not long after, Delta told the radio duo that Guy was a good kisser during a rapid-fire game of Yes or No, before quickly adding: "Long time ago, guys."
Speaking to InStyle Australia in 2018, Goodrem opened up about having relationships in the public eye.
"It comes with what I do. I never tried to fight that and I’ve been honoured that people are so intrigued. But you have to know in your heart what the reality is [and] what the illusion and fantasy of it all is," she said.
"I wish I could share my WhatsApp group messages because they are so hilarious. [My friends] will be like, 'Thanks Delta for not inviting us to the wedding,' and I’m like, 'Hey guys, yeah it was a great wedding, so sorry you all missed it!' Or they say, 'Delta, you had a baby!' and I say, 'Yeah, yeah, I had one this week.' You have to laugh. One thing I’ve learnt having been in this for a long time, is that you have to let things go, and you can’t take any of it too seriously."
For more on this topic:
- After sending her 300 poems, Delta Goodrem's stalker arrived at her place on Valentine's Day.
- The romantic history between Delta Goodrem and Guy Sebastian as they both judge The Voice.
- Where exactly is Delta Goodrem's ex fiancé Brian McFadden now?
Feature Image: Getty/Instagram @matthew.copley
This post was originally published on April 20 2020, and updated on May 17, 2020.
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