Australian singer and songwriter Delta Goodrem has opened up about her health battle over the last two years, recovering from a surgery that left her unable to speak or sing, which inspired her new song.
On August 16, our September cover star shared a video across social media detailing the experiences behind her new song “Paralyzed”. The video revealed her journey after she had her salivary gland removed in October 2018, a complication during surgery saw one of her tongue nerves damaged, impacting her speech.
“As a songwriter, I write songs from my own experiences. I tell stories about the path I have been on, wondering if anyone else has been on a similar journey,” she wrote in a caption. “The first step in writing this new record was a personal transformation that I didn’t know I needed in my life.”
“I share this with you as an artist sharing where the poetry in this song comes from and as a human who deeply feels and understands that everyone has their own story and their own challenges they are overcoming each day. You never know what someone is going through and this is an extremely hard time for people.”
In the video, we witness Goodrem’s long recovery over many months, from hospital bed revelations of “rebirth” and tearful moments to outbursts of frustration, as she slowly recovers from the strenuous speech therapy.
“I wanted to share my story and say why I hadn’t had music out for so long, and why this song, and why I wrote it,” she mentions. “It’s been a strange process not actually sharing it straight away, but I just didn’t know if I was ready yet.”
Near the end of the video, Goodrem performs her new song, however, she admits that singing still feels different than what it used to.
“I still am a bit confused at how it feels a little bit different to sing now, and I’m still finding that new space, so that’s a little bit heartbreaking.”
The video has resulted in an outpouring of love on social media for Goodrem, who successfully beat Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2004.
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