Call Redialed: NEW Olivia Newton-John Interview: A Woman of Song

 

I think because I grew up in Australia, I'm lucky with my upbringing and my friends. I've always had a realistic take on who I am and not an overblown idea of what I was capable of. I guess low self-esteem has been a pretty good thing (hahaha). I'm just a grounded person in general and I like to do grounded things.

 

When I was younger, when I got home, I would jump on my horse and ride, but now-a-days, I do the laundry or go for a walk or bike ride or my husband and I go out into nature somehow. I just like the basic things that are important to me. I do go to the red carpet events and enjoy them, but that is not the center of my world in anyway.

 

2. Adam Rothenberg (Me): What has been your proudest moment so far: either professionally or personally or both? 

 

Olivia Newton-John: Personally, would be of course the birth of my daughter. I don't think anything comes close to having a child and that moment when she was born and watching her grow up has been the greatest joy in my life. 

 

Adam Rothenberg (Me): It seems that you have a very close relationship with her which you're very lucky to have. 

 

Olivia Newton-John: Yeah, we do. She's a wonderful girl.

 

Olivia Newton-John and her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi

 

3. Adam Rothenberg (Me): I'm very excited because this December you are headed out on tour again. What excites you about this upcoming tour? 

 

Olivia Newton-John: Seeing my band again and seeing the public again. I haven't been on tour in a while here in the states. I did a few shows in South America earlier this year. This is a very short tour, but it will be fun to catch up with everybody and sing again because it's part of who I am. I love to sing, so it will be a lot of fun. 

 

Adam Rothenberg (Me): Well, we're looking forward to it. 

 

Olivia Newton-John: Thank You.

 

4. Adam Rothenberg (Me): You have a new movie coming out this January called A Few Best Men. What attracted you to the movie? What do you hope audiences come away with after seeing the film? 

 

Olivia Newton-John: I just hope they laugh because that's what it is. It's just a wacky, outrageous comedy. I think everyone just needs a good laugh now-a-days. And the boys are so, so funny in it.

 

 

5. Adam Rothenberg (Me): You look exactly the same as you did when you first started out, at least I feel you do.

 

Olivia Newton-John: Oh, you're too kind. 

 

Adam Rothenberg (Me): What is your secret to looking so great and feeling so great? 

 

Olivia Newton-John: I think I'm really lucky. I'm in love. I have a wonderful husband and I'm really happy, which really counts. I'm doing things that I feel strongly and passionate about like building the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre and working with my husband John on his Amazon Rain Herb company, both of which are very important to me. I mostly take his herbs everyday. We travel 90% of the time because I go with him for his work and he comes with me for mine, and I think without the herbage, I wouldn't be feeling so good. I'm very grateful for his company and his herbs. His skin care Amazon Rain is really amazing as well, which I use.

 

6. Adam Rothenberg (Me): You are working on an album of dance remixes. What can fans expect from this album? What made you want to do an album of all dance music? 

 

Olivia Newton-John: It just kind of happened because in Australia a mixer down there, Dan Murphy, took "Magic" and remixed it and then they did a video that was really special and that kind of has sparked a lot of interest with remixes and we had a lot of inquiries from remixers about it.

 

I had been making some tracks with my nephew, Brett Goldsmith, in Australia for the last 8 years. We would sometimes to get together to write a song or play around and these tracks were just there and we thought why don't we put those out and record some new ones and we've got ourselves an album that hasn't been released before.

 

Also with the new movie, A Few Best Men, John Farrar has written a song for me called "Weightless" and that is on the soundtrack and the closing song in the movie and that is a dance track. So it's like I've kind of got two different projects going on with dance music, which is not something I've planned on, but here's a whole new genre. 

 

Adam Rothenberg (Me): I'm very excited about this. 

 

Olivia Newton-John: Oh, thank you.

 

 

7. Adam Rothenberg (Me): In 2010, you starred in two episodes of Glee. What did that whole experience mean to you? What was it like to record a new version of "Physical" and get to do it with Jane Lynch? 

 

Olivia Newton-John: It was just fun. I met Ryan Murphy and he asked me if I'd like to be part of the show and at that time, I hadn't even seen the show, which I was a bit embarrassed about because it was such a big hit, but I had been traveling, for a change (haha), which is why I hadn't seen it.

 

I did then watch it and thought it was hysterical and everyone was jumping up and down "Oh, you're going to do Glee that's amazing." Jane was so much fun and so lovely. We had a wonderful time. It was just great. 

 

Adam Rothenberg (Me): I loved your two-episode arc. I love the new version of "Physical" so much I put it on my gym mix. 

 

Olivia Newton-John: Oh good. Thank you.