Delta

240 Pages·2006·2.01 MB·English

by  Kerrie Davies

delta

delta
KERRIE DAVIES
A Sue Hines Book
Allen & Unwin
The author is donating a share of the royalties from
this book to theAustralian Red Cross and to theAids
TrustofAustralia.
Firstpublishedin2005
Copyrighttext©KerrieDavies2005
Copyrightphotographs©individualphotographers
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isthegreater,tobephotocopiedbyanyeducationalinstitutionfor
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NationalLibraryofAustralia
Cataloguing-in-Publicationentry:
Davies,Kerrie,1972-.
Delta.
ISBN1741145481.
1.Goodrem,Delta. 2.Womensingers–Australia–Biogra-
phy. 3.Televisionactorsandactresses–Australia–
Biography. I.Title.
782.42164092
CoverandtextdesignbyNadaBackovic
TypesettingbyPaulineHaas
EditedbyJenniferCastles
PrintedinAustraliabyMcPherson’sPrintingGroup
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Contents
Chapter1 Bring It On 3
Chapter2 Born toTry 9
Chapter3 Believe in Me 25
Chapter4 Everybody Needs Neighbours 43
Chapter5 Not Me,Not I 61
Chapter6 Fame 81
Chapter7 Extraordinary Day 99
Chapter8 LostWithoutYou 117
Chapter9 Out of the Blue 137
Chapter 10 Lea and Delta 151
Chapter11 HatingAlisonAshley 171
Chapter 12 The Love Rat 189
Chapter 13 Back in the Limelight 201
Chapter14 America 215
Acknowledgements 234
PictureCredits 234
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“I am living the dream
I’ve wanted
a little girl.”
since I was
Delta
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1
C H A P T E R
B r i n g I t O n
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DELTA
On a sweltering summer’s evening, 20,000 people sprawled
on the grass outside Parliament House in Federation Mall,
Canberra to celebrate‘Christmas in the Capital’.
Some of the biggest names inAustralian pop music were per-
forming at the outdoor concert,but there was one girl everyone
was waiting for as the sun set.Children wearing glow-in-the-dark
antlers strained on their parents’ shoulders,cooled by Parliament
House sprinklers that had gently been turned on earlier in the
evening torelieve the unrelenting heat.
When she appeared on the stage,an adoring roar floated into
thesky.Shesmiledandwaved,thensettledattheantiqueGerman
piano and fidgeted with her stiletto shoes.Behind her,Parliament
House was eerily lit up with garish images of moons and rain-
forests,but she didn’t need the adornment.Unlike earlier artists,
Deltacommandedtheaudience’sattentionwithjustherpresence.
There was silence for a moment,a feeling of anticipation and
admiration for the teenager whose gutsy ballads had entranced
Australia.Elegant and classy,eighteen-year-old Delta was dressed
in a sparkling,sophisticated black halter-neck for the Christmas
performance.Shiny black earrings dangled from her ears as she
bent over the piano.Her hair was groomed straight,her make-up
perfect,hervoice powerful and clear.
Delta had the No.1 single in the country,was aTV star and a
teenidol.AsshesangherhitBornToTry,thecrowddreamilywaved
along. Then Delta sang some traditional Christmas carols like
Silent Night.
The applause and screams for Delta were still filtering
through to backstage when fan RachaelWard slipped around the
door to meet with Delta and get her autograph.Rachael’s mother,
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“ all ”
It’s good.
Delta
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DELTA
Julie Ward, had produced the concert and Rachael had been
waiting all night for herchance to meet the performer.
But as she approached Delta and her mother Lea, she was
amazed to see a very different person to the composed,confident
star she had seen on stage earlier that night.The singer was dis-
traughtandbeingcomfortedbyLea.Shehadmissedthehighnote
inSilent Night,and couldn’t forgive herself.
‘Shewassittingwithhermumatatableandallupsetbecause
of missing the note,’ recalls Rachael.‘I told her not to worry,she
was my favourite singer by far.She said I was an angel,and very
sweet.One day Iwant to be a singer,just like her.She ismy idol.’
The shy fan,with modest words of reassurance to her crest-
fallen idol,had just seen the public and private worlds of Delta
Goodrem collide.
InpublicDelta’slifeis,toquoteoneofherfavouritesayings,‘all
good’.Sincereleasing BornToTry threedaysbeforehereighteenth
birthday,DeltahasbecomeoneofAustralia’sbiggestsellingartists.
HerdebutalbumInnocentEyessold2.5millioncopiesandhasgone
platinum fourteen times. Her second album, Mistaken Identity,
debutedtripleplatinum.TodateshehashadeightconsecutiveNo.1
releases.She has won a record-breaking sevenARIA awards,aTV
Logie award and been nominated for a Gold Logie,Australia’s top
people’s choice award.She will take to the road for her first-ever
nationaltour—the‘VisualiseTour’—inJuly2005.Withthepow-
erful record company,Sony,behind her,Delta is taking on the US
market.SheownsaluxurySydneyapartmentinthesamebuilding
asRussellCrowe,andisacelebrityinEuropethroughherTVrolein
Neighbours,herchartsuccess,herill-fatedlovematchwithtennis
starMarkPhilippoussisandherromancewithBrianMcFadden.
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