Gratitude for life inspires Olivia Newton-John

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -

Olivia Newton-John says working on her latest album, "Grace and Gratitude," was cathartic and helped her heal during a difficult time.

Writing music was a way to confront the pain of losing Patrick McDermott, her partner of nine years who disappeared on a fishing trip off the coast of California in June 2005.

"Grace and Gratitude" combines music and religious chants from diverse spiritual influences: Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism, Islamic and Hebrew prayers and a Latin Benediction.

The four-time Grammy Award winner became known to millions in 1978 when she starred opposite

John Travolta in "Grease," playing a wholesome girl who is transformed into a leather-clad vixen.

A breast cancer survivor, Newton-John is also an advocate of cancer research. She spoke to Reuters in Singapore, the third stop of an Asian tour.

Q: What's it like writing more of your own music?

A: These past couple of years I went through a lot of things and was very reflective and just felt a need to do this kind of music. I really wanted to do it since "Gaia" (1994) but couldn't find an audience for it then. But I think it's more timely. I've caught up with myself. It's really where I would like to be.

Q: Did writing the songs for Grace and Gratitude help you overcome the loss of Patrick?

A: It helped me greatly because I found that when I write music -- when you write lyrics, like keeping a diary, writing poetry or a song -- you take yourself out of your emotional body into more of an analytical body and it takes your mind out of grief. It kind of takes you into the healing and when I was recording the songs, it was a great cathartic kind of thing, because it was where I needed to be."

Q: You're on a spiritual journey. When did it all begin?

A: I think I've always been on it. Even as a little girl I remember sitting under trees, nature and wondering where it all came from; sensed something really magnificent, but didn't really know what to call it. I've tried to put a label on what I believe in but realized as I got older, that you don't have to put a label on it, you don't have to belong to this church or that faith. You can have your own system of whatever you believe in.

Q: Do you think about cancer, whether you've beaten it?

A: I don't think of it as a battle any longer. It's a war that I've won and I've moved on ... I don't think of it lurking, and coming back and all that, because you can drive yourself crazy. The power of your mind is very important and you need to keep your mind focused on the positive.

Q: What's your favorite song on Grace and Gratitude?

A: "Love is Letting Go of Fear" -- I love the lyrics, I love the melody, and it's just one of those songs we wrote. It just came to us. It was a really emotional song.

Q: How would you like to be remembered?

A: I hope my music makes people feel something and makes them think about their lives. I would love to feel they felt something for my music, whether it's good or bad, as long as they feel something. I hope I leave a legacy with the hospital (Olivia Newton-John Cancer Center in Melbourne) and with environmental things, to encourage people to do the same, to encourage people to give back. And I hope I leave behind something worthwhile.

Reuters/Nielsen