"Anyone can dream, I say," insisted Delta Goodrem. And it was this sentiment exactly that got the Neighbours actress-turned-multi-million-selling music artist started on her career, aged 12. With the hope of singing at a football match for her favourite team the Sydney Swans, she sent them a five-track demo. Blown away by her talent, they sent it to one of their biggest supporters, Australian artist manager Glen Wheatley. He snapped her up immediately, developing her career up to the point she was signed to Sony and, aged 15, given a part on Australia's best-loved soap.
Delta Goodrem's early life and career
Born in Sydney on November 9, 1984, Delta showed a strong interest in music and performing from a very young age. She began playing the piano and taking singing, dancing and acting lessons aged seven. "I have been singing for as long as I could talk," she admits. As a young child, she appeared in TV commercials and had minor roles in several Australian series, but it was her 2002 portrayal of shy schoolgirl and aspiring singer Nina Tucker in Neighbours that brought her widespread fame and helped launch her music career. Her piano ballad, Born To Try premiered on the show and went on to become her first Australian number one, climbing to number three in the UK charts.
For the next year she was busier than ever, going into the studio after a day on the Neighbours set, often working till 4 am to record her debut album Innocent Eyes. Her hard work paid off. The disc went in at the top of the Australian charts and stayed there for a record-breaking 25 weeks. It reached number two in the UK, went platinum 14 times and sold more than 2.5 million copies.
Despite the differences in their styles, comparisons between Delta and Kylie followed after Delta's four consecutive number ones overtook the pop princess' record of three from her debut album Kylie. In 2003, with her career at full throttle Delta then aged 18 was diagnosed with cancer. She dropped out of Neighbours to concentrate on treatment, but never took her mind off her music. After announcing she had gone into remission in 2004, and with her schedule free as she made her recovery, she set about recording a second album, Mistaken Identity. At the end of 2004 she found love when she began dating former Westlife singer Brian McFadden whose marriage to Atomic Kitten Kerry Katona had come to an end. The pair were engaged and together a number of years but broke up in 2011.
After, Delta would go on to date Nick Jonas but the romance didn't last. In 2017, she began dating fellow musician Matthew Copley.
Delta Goodrem's later career
In 2007, Delta would release her third studio album which then lead to a world tour. But in 2011, TV came knocking and she joined the panel of the Australian version of The Voice alongside Keith Urban, Joel Madden and Seal. A few years later, she also made a return to Neighbours to reprise her role as Nina Tucker and began regular TV acting in shows such as House Husbands.
Her next releases were Child of the Universe, Wings of the Wild, Only Santa Knows and Bridge Over Troubled Dreams, which was released in 2021.
