A shock diagnosis made Delta Goodrem press the pause button, reset, and write an album

The ARIA Award-winning singer is excitedly counting down the days until she hits the road in support of her sixth studio album Bridge Over Troubled Dreams.

"Oh my gosh, getting to perform my new songs live is my Christmas. I will be there with bells on," she says, laughing.

"We recorded the songs live in the studio with my band so on this tour, it's literally a case of the band getting on stage and playing. I want to go all out and make these shows really special."

Goodrem released songs Billionaire, Keep Climbing, Sold Gold, Paralyzed and All Of My Friends as singles from the album as well as her first-ever book, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams. Published by Simon & Schuster, it shares the intimate stories behind each of the tracks, taking readers on a deep dive into Goodrem's inspiration for each song, revealing the truth behind the lyrics and the lessons learned along the way.

The heartfelt stories are accompanied by never-before-seen pictures from Goodrem's personal collection: candid behind-the-scenes shots, unreleased tour photos and even personal snaps from her childhood.

Goodrem has always been good to her fans, and refreshingly so. She is truly humbled by their love and support and, the night prior to our conversation, had been in Newcastle performing an intimate "listening session" of the album.

"I've been trying to do something different for all the people who continually, after all these years, come to my shows and my in-stores and ask for a signed CD or a photo," she explains.

"We all sit and listen to the album, then talk about it, and they can ask any question they want. It's been really special."

Like her previous albums, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams is intensely personal, but that's where the similarities end. She didn't have any preconceived notions of what the album should sound like or look like; she simply sat at the piano and thought about how it should feel.

"I am so grateful that every album I have made has been so true to who I am at that moment," Goodrem says.

"With this record I remember seeing an image of Patti Smith in a room with a cat and I thought 'That looks like what I want the record to feel'. I wanted it to about the live instruments that I love so much. I wanted to be able to hear the piano pedal moving.

"It was about losing any restrictions about what a song needs to be or should be; about being completely true to whatever the music asks for; and about forcing myself to be at the piano and staying there until I find the songs."

Goodrem's second album, Mistaken Identity, was written after her shock cancer diagnosis in 2003. Bridge Over Troubled Dreams is Goodrem trying to make sense of another life-changing diagnosis. Nerve damage following the removal of a salivary gland last year meant she lost her ability to control her tongue, and in turn, words and sounds.

She had to learn to talk again, and attended daily speech therapy sessions.

Fortunately, she is able to talk - and sing - once again.

Read more: Delta Goodrem is leading by example with her 2021 national tour

Goodrem chose not to share news of her diagnosis until she had worked through the implications and was in recovery. Bridge Over Troubled Dreams is her statement to the world.

"It took me a long time to decide whether or not to tell people about it. It was a very personal thing," she says.

"At the same time the world was going through a major reset due to COVID, and in my calmer moments I told myself that maybe what was happening to me was happening for a reason.

"Maybe this was a moment to remind people that you never really know what other people are going through.

"There was so much going on last year, such a big shift. I decided to share, firstly, to the people that listen to my music, why this body of work came about, why it took some time to come to life, what's been happening since the last record.

"Losing my speech was a unique moment in my life and there was such unpredictability about it. You don't know when or if a nerve is going to come back together. I am just so grateful to be on the other side and singing away, so so grateful."

Needless to say, Goodrem has a renewed appreciation for the gift that is her voice.

"Because I had to work so hard at speech therapy, I'm loving singing more than I ever have," she says.

"The new album was born from that, and from having a quiet moment of reflection.

"On this record I'm saying 'Here I am, this is my heart, these are some of the stories of my life, this is an acceptance of me owning those stories'. That's why I wanted this music to feel so real, to strip it back, to use live instruments.

"I wanted the music to be real and for the audience to feel its heartbeat."

Tickets that were purchased for Goodrem's April and May Bridge Over Troubled Dreams concerts remain valid for the rescheduled dates. Tickets for the revised dates are on sale now. $1 from every ticket sold goes to the Delta Goodrem Foundation. She kicks off her tour at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on September 24.

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