Oh cruel Australia thy name is fickle

 

WHAT did Delta Goodrem do that was so wrong? Here's a young woman whose talent with words and melody has taken her to the top of the charts both here and in the UK.

 

Like it or loathe it, her music touches a resounding chord with the widest possible cross-section of people.

 

While that is all happening, she develops a life-threatening illness and manages – so far, so good – to kick it.

 

And she takes advantage of her success to explore other creative endeavours, including film and fashion.

 

And falls in love with a man, maybe not under the most perfect of circumstances, but a year later they are still happy and together.

 

Yet Delta Goodrem has attracted a level of negative backlash that should be reserved for corporate heads discovered with their hands in the till up to their elbows or politicians who completely stuff up Sydney's road system with a dodgy tunnel.

 

It is no surprise that the sledging and potshots and nasty whispering campaign about her mother's role as her manager have taken their toll on Goodrem to the extent that she was genuinely worried about how her Commonwealth Games performance would be received by the fickle Australian public.

 

The fact that her fans petitioned her record label this week to release her opening ceremony single, Together We Are One, gave her a huge sense of relief and pride.

 

"That meant a lot to me . . . I don't think anyone realises how much, after everything that has happened," she said.

 

"I couldn't see anyone, the crowd or the athletes, through the smoke from the fireworks when I performed the song. I really felt like I was the only person on the field.

 

"And then when I came off stage and walked through this back area in the stadium and all these volunteers were lined up and started clapping.

 

"I got really emotional. I didn't know what to say besides 'thank you, thank you'."

 

Even with that affirmation of popularity and affection from everyday folk, Goodrem still feels she needs to lay low for a while, head back overseas to continue writing new material and sneak back into Australia when the time is right.

 

"I just want to go away and be creative for a while," she said.

 

Goodrem never says 'why me?' and in fact goes to great lengths to be positive about the support she receives from fans.

 

Her label mate Pete Murray is pretty much cut from the same self-deprecating cloth.

 

And with Murray seemingly playing your local concert hall or festival every week and his songs all over the radio, his turn at avoiding the backlash is nigh.

 

So the quietly spoken troubadour will soon disappear overseas to pursue other opportunities in Europe after his current tour wraps up.

 

"It's time to give everyone a decent break," he laughed.

 

"There wasn't a lot of space between me releasing Feeler and touring and releasing See The Sun and tall-poppy syndrome is inevitable here.

 

"You have to be careful not to overdo it."

 

In Australia, it appears you have only truly achieved massive success if half the population hates you, or wishes you would go away.

 

Then, when you go away to Britain or Europe or America or Japan and achieve even bigger success, we love you again until, of course, you reach the point of overexposure and we wish you would just go away. Again.

 

Even with all this self-awareness about how Australian the boringly cliche tall-poppy syndrome is, we just can't help ourselves.

 

Instead of celebrating, we denigrate; instead of patting our stars on the back, we shove the knife in – deep.

 

Call me Pollyanna, but can't we give it a rest?

 

There is much to jump up and down about as far as the success of Australian musicians go right now.

 

Wolfmother, The Veronicas and Missy Higgins are making significant inroads in the US.

 

The Living End have just blown everyone away at the world's biggest music trade fair, South By Southwest, in Texas.

 

Independent newcomers The Grates, Howling Bells, The Morning After Girls, Gyroscope and Decoder Ring are also generating the kind of international buzz which should translate into chart and live success.

 

Bet you they can't wait to get home and tell all their mates about it. And then spend the next six months apologising for being good at what they do.

 

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March 23, 2006 - Source

Nice article!! :D

 

Love,

Kirsty xx

It's sad, but true :(

Yeah!! I know couple of Aussies and they are such fickle, fickle ppl!! :rolleyes: Ahh well we'll have Delta if they don't want her :P We could adopt her :cheer: :lol:

 

Love,

Kirsty xx

Edited March 23, 200619 yr by Miss Analyst

Someone told me they wanted to adopt me yesterday :o Quite sweet really :wub: