Aussie pop singer Delta Goodrem shows happy side

By Christie Eliezer

MELBOURNE (Billboard) - Australian pop singer Delta Goodrem has crossed over from the dark side with her third album, which recalls the lighter tones of her debut release.

"Delta" is the follow-up to her 2004 quintuple-platinum (350,000 units shipped) album "Mistaken Identity." Its songs were written against a background of Goodrem's battle with cancer, breakup with manager Glenn Wheatley and highly public splits from actor Blair McDonough and tennis player Mark Philippoussis.

Fans of Goodrem's poppy 2003 debut, "Innocent Eyes," will identify with the new album "Delta," says her boss, Denis Handlin, chairman and CEO of Sony BMG Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand.

"Delta" was released domestically October 20 and shipped platinum (70,000), according to Sony BMG, topping the Australian Recording Industry Assn. (ARIA) chart the following week.

The album will appear in Asia mid-January, with a U.K./European release to follow. A U.S. release is under negotiation, Handlin adds.

Goodrem topped the ARIA chart for 29 weeks with "Innocent Eyes," shipping more than 1 million copies, according to the label. The album also made the UK top 10.

Reuters/Billboard