Delta The view from the top

It's 20 years since Delta Goodrem's debut album, Innocent Eyes, broke records and catapulted her to international stardom. As she returns to the road to celebrate, she talks about the love and loss - that's propelled her journey.

I still remember the first time I met Delta Goodrem in 2002. To be honest, I'd turned up not expecting terribly much. Earlier that week a Sony Music publicist had rung, asking for something of a favour. The label would be launching a talented 16-year-old singer-songwriter, they said. She would first appear on Neighbours, with her debut single following soon after. She was a big priority, the publicist semi-pleaded, before swearing this would be worth my time as well as something that would be remembered down the line.

Arriving at a cafe in Sydney's eastern suburbs, I found myself sitting opposite a sweet, self-possessed young blonde who, if she was nervous, gave no clues. Her slightly gravelly voice belied her youth and innocent aura. She was inquisitive. She asked me a lot of questions about myself and seemed genuinely interested in the answers. I wrote a small piece, filed it the next day and didn't think much more of it. Chances are, I thought, she'd be just one of the many young soap starlets to release a pop song only to disappear into the ether.

And then Delta's career exploded.

More than 20 years, a swag of awards and multiple hit records later, this time I was the one who had done all the pleading and negotiating, hoping for an opportunity to chronicle the latest steps in Delta's impressive career. Our shoot and interview had been months in the planning, her international touring schedule so hectic I was unsure if we'd manage to get things over the line.