Delta Goodrem On Stepping Into Her Power

If you became a record-breaking pop sensation at the age of nineteen, you could be forgiven for coasting through the rest of your life. That outcome was never on the cards for Delta Goodrem, though. In the eight years since we last profiled her, Delta has more than come into her own. Last year, the beloved singer and cancer survivor was awarded an AM for her charity work and career achievements, and later this year will be touring the country to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of her smash hit Innocent Eyes album. Now, as she enters the final year of her thirties, she is releasing her aptly-named fourth fragrance, Power. Fresh off a flight from the UK to Sydney to celebrate its launch, Delta sat down with our founder Sigourney to share how she has learned to trust her intuition to make decisions big and small, the gentle ways she looks for balance in her life, and why this fragrance is her most personal yet.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

“Power is my fourth fragrance. It has a quiet strength, which is what I like about it.

My first three were Delta, Dream and Destiny. I think the best part of having your very own fragrance is the fact that you can create something that you actually want to wear every day. A lot of us own a lot of different fragrances, maybe even an excessive amount, haha, so it makes it so easy to be able to go and grab the one I want to wear, because it’s mine!

When I was developing the trilogy, I was very focused on each scent being quite unique. I wanted the OG to be for everyone, and then with the other two I got very specific about what would you wear for a certain type of day or event. I wanted Dream to be a very ’90s, noir fragrance, and then Destiny was a bit spicy, with lots of orange. Power is quite different –you wear it, it doesn’t wear you. It still has a bit of a sense of decadence and luxury, but it’s not overpowering. There’s some vanilla, but then it’s got the spice of bourbon and the milkiness of the musk. So it’s a bit sexy, but then the cedar wood and jasmine notes balance that out.

I made this fragrance so that I can wear it, but also because this scent is part of my philosophy on where we are all at in the wider world at the moment. That is, that no matter what happens in the world, your life is about what you choose to make it. We’ve been through this massive collective trauma, and now that we’re (hopefully) at the other end of it, I wanted to celebrate that positivity. If you want to make something happen these days, you can go out there and do it. There are no walls up or gatekeeping anymore; you can create whatever you want to create and share it with people. That does mean there’s a lot more options out there you might have to go up against, though, so you do have to be motivated and be able to rely on yourself. I do believe that there’s space for everyone, and we all have to curate our own roles in our own worlds. There’s so much opportunity now, and that’s really wonderful.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

I think of the word ‘power’ in a very holistic way.

I think when you feel your most powerful is when you feel decisive. That might be being clear on your own personal convictions and what you believe in, in a larger sense, or it might be in a more simple, intuitive way, like when you really know you have to go in a certain direction on something. It’s important to know what your internal compass is saying; when it tells you ‘this is right’, that’s when you really need to pay attention. We don’t always do that, especially with day-to-day decisions, and then you can lose track of the bigger picture of where you’re headed.

Olivia Newton-John is one of the powerful women who has always inspired me, and will continue to do so. I have been very open about that for a long time. She was my mentor and she had such a quiet strength. She was a trailblazer and a very resilient person, and there’s so much power in that. My girlfriends inspire me every day, too.

With her mentor and friend, the late Olivia Newton-John

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

With some of her close friends

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

I think being a hard worker is just a part of my DNA; my brother’s the same.

We owe quite a lot to our mum. She lost both of her parents when she was young, so she’s always been very do-it-yourself. My dad was, too. My parents separated a long time ago, but when we were kids, they ran a paper and printing business together. The message from both of them was very much, ‘you’re the one who can make things happen, and you do it yourself’.

For instance, when I’d made my first demo, it was like, well, how do I get this moving to the next stage? So I’d sit down with the Yellow Pages and figure out who to send the demo to. My parents were like, ‘if you want this, that’s what you have to do – find the record companies’. I sent everyone I could find copies of my demo, and I was only 12 years old. So many people said no, but a gentleman at Sony (who I still know to this day) told me to try again when I was a little older; I did eventually get signed when I was 15, owing to that original mail out. Figuring things out for ourselves was a big part of our family, and it has paid off.

With her mother, Lea Goodrem

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

I keep most of my skincare pretty simple, with serums being the elevated part. I really love my serums, especially hydrating ones.

I like a little bit of Medik8 Crystal Retinal at night time. Otherwise, I use Cetaphil and Sukin cleansers and Cetaphil moisturisers.

It’s important that there are actives going on, but I can’t use anything too active because my skin will get a little bit stressed by that, so I have to be careful. My skin changes a lot with travel or just generally going through different phases, so I pay attention to it, and let it dictate what it needs. I am always looking for products that are calming.

I rely so much on the hair and makeup artists around me to make me look my best and teach me about new things, but I do believe in taking care of my skin and hair so I can give the professionals a decent canvas. Last time we spoke, I talked about the Ella Baché Eye and Lip Cleanser. It’s still the only one I’ve ever used that reliably gets everything off. I’ve used it for my entire career. Having said that, I think it’s good to have an understanding of your skin and how it sort of shifts and changes, so you don’t get too stuck on one product. It can feel like your skin or hair becomes resistant if you use the same thing for too long. Like my body goes, ‘…I’ve seen this. I feel like we need to move on’. I like to try new things to counteract that feeling!

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

I love a good in-salon treatment when I have the time.

We’re so lucky in Sydney with Melanie Grant, Jocleyn Petroni, the Rationale team, Venustas… we have some great people to go to here. I see Ingrid Seaburn for treatments, and she also tells me what skincare to use. She’s given me a great routine that I just adapt and change up when I need to. For me, it’s important to have professional advice and treatments, but it’s also really key that you can be efficient at home. I really like LED masks for that. I like being able to walk around the house with my little Aduro mask on. It’s wonderful. I’ve just bought one for my mum for Mother’s Day because I like it so much and know she will, too.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

I do my makeup myself a lot so when I’m on the road. Otherwise, Noni Smith has been doing my makeup forever.

I’m a Revlon girl. I pretty much live in their products 24/7. Some of my favourites are the beautiful blushes, concealers, and long-wear makeup. I also really like the Colorstay Brow Fibre Filler, which I use to get fluffy eyebrows. The new Ultra HD Matte Lipsticks are amazing. And I always love a good lash, no matter what other look I am doing.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

For my hair, I am using Olaplex.

My hair is quite coarse, and being blonde makes it more prone to breakage, so I like to take good care of it. I’m trying to leave it longer and longer between colouring sessions, to just let my natural colour come through.

For styling it, I love the Beachwaver. It’s the best thing ever – a game changer. It changed my entire ability to do my hair, because the tool just does it for you.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

I used to travel so much, and it was pretty crazy and stressful. I just came back to Australia from the UK, and you sort of forget how far it is and how jet lagged you get.

My method to avoid jet lag as much as possible is to try to stay true to the time of day where I’ve landed, rather than listening to what my body is telling me to do. So on the day I arrive, I try to stay up until 7 pm or so before I go to sleep. I mean, last night I was literally walking sideways to try and make it, but I did it. And then I push out one hour each day to make bed time a little later. That’s my way of combatting it.

Backstage with Robbie Williams

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

Performing with Andrea Bocelli

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

When we’re on the road, we pretty much do whatever we can to fit in exercise.

We’ll just Google where the local gym is and head there. I quite enjoy using the gym. I love a good walk, too, but otherwise I’m just getting to know the hotel gyms wherever I am. I try to get down there first thing the next morning once we’ve landed somewhere the night before. That’s a good way to combat jet lag too. It feels good to move after all that time sitting in a car or on a plane.

I like being active when I can. I’m not consistent, because there’s no real routine with my lifestyle, so I fit it in where I can and actively look for ways to get it in. For instance, today with battling the jet lag and having just arrived, it’s a no because I’m too tired. So next week I will try and make sure I go a few times. That’s where my balance is.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @DELTAGOODREM

I do live a healthy lifestyle, generally. I’m not 100% committed to any particular way of eating… it’s all about everything in moderation, isn’t it? I do live on coffee, though!

I’m not super strict, and nothing is off limits. That’s another way I like to find balance – I like to try and ‘eat the rainbow’ of all sorts of fresh veggies, but I also love sweets. I am a big water drinker, but then I love a glass of wine. My partner [guitarist Matthew Copley] is very healthy and is all about cooking great food for us at home. We do try and listen to our bodies too, though, and have what we’re really wanting. If that’s an Aperol spritz, then it’s OK to have an Aperol spritz, but then other times I might go a couple of weeks where I’m only drinking water. If I’m performing, I don’t drink at all so that I’m alert and focused. Then if I’m off and spending a week with my family, we might be having wine every night. I may not be balanced all the time, but I kind of like my life to have balance in its own way. It all seems to even out in the end.”