With her 2024 Christmas TV special in the books, Delta Goodrem turns her attention to live performances and completing an album of new works. The door, however, remains wide open for acting opportunities.
In 2023, she marked her return to the screen with the Netflix rom-com, “Love Is in the Air,” and last December helmed the fifth annual TV special, “Christmas With Delta”, which aired on Channel 9 and 9Now and featured guest spots from Josh Groban, Howie from the Backstreet Boys, Colin Hay and DJ Fisher.
“I have been an actress since day one,” she tells Variety AU/NZ from Tinseltown, her adopted home. “It’s always been a part of my journey. I love the variety of the arts and telling stories through different formats”.
Goodrem graced stages around the country in 2015 and 2016 as Grizabella in the Australian production of “Cats”, and warmed hearts the 2000s as Nina Tucker, her good girl-next-door character in “Neighbours”. She reprised the role in March 2015 for the show’s 30th anniversary, and for the final episode in July 2022.
“I’ve always looked at my career holistically and (acting) is all a part of the arts, really,” she explains. “I appreciate the variety of my career.”
The Australian entertainer is, for the first time, an independent recording artist, at the helm of her own label, ATLED Records, which she launched in 2023 following a decades-long association with Sony Music. Being your own boss has its own pressures. And Goodrem is cracking the whip. “I have to keep making this album,” she explains.
The singer and songwriter let fans in on her new sound with 2023’s retro synth-rock number “Back to Your Heart” and the 80s-inspired 2024 cut “Hearts on the Run,” both produced with John Shanks and Matthew Copley and issued through ATLED.
“The music’s feeling very exciting,” she continues. “I’ve loved the fact that we’ve released these songs and have so much support around the world, especially in the UK” — a market where “Neighbours” is historically part of the national diet.
Running her own label was a natural progression. “We’re inspired and feeling strong in being able to run our own race. I’ve grown up in labels and I enjoy having my own. So, I love doing that.”
Looking ahead, Goodrem will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her hit album “Mistaken Identity” with two dates this April at the Sydney Opera House, produced by TEG, followed by a pair of shows in London Hackney Empire. Warm-up dates are locked-in for February 22nd at Rochford Wines (with the Corrs), and March 17th at Fiji’s Music In Paradise.
Goodrem’s as-yet-untitled next album is the follow-up to 2021’s “Bridge Over Troubled Dreams,” which opened at the top of the ARIA Chart, her fifth leader. “I’m excited for what we’ve got in the pipeline,” she enthuses.