Marcia Hines calls her new album, Life, the musical equivalent of a self-help book.
The 54-year-old diva, who has almost four decades of performing under her belt, says she wanted to record an album of songs she loves and share some of her life lessons along the way.
"It's probably more self-help to me than anyone else," Hines jokes.
"You know how there are songs in your life that when you're sad and you're boo hoo that you put it on, or you have songs that are really uplifting?
"Well these songs have meant a lot to me in my life so I just thought if they work for me they might work for everybody else."
Hines says the inspiration for the concept album came out of realising that pain shared is pain halved, and joy shared is doubled.
"Everybody holds everything so close to their chest and then you start to realise, 'hang on, everybody feels just like I do'," she said.
"'Hang on, people hurt just like I do. Hang on, people are happy just like I am. Or people get pissed off just like I do'.
"So it's just human emotion and I think we all share it. You know that great saying misery loves company? It's true."
The album features songs from disparate genres and times, including the John Lennon classic Imagine, Toni Braxton's Breathe Again and REM's hit Everybody Hurts, which she performed on Australian Idol last Sunday night.
In the album's sleeve notes, Hines shares anecdotes, advice and memories which correlate to her song choices.
In reference to her inclusion of The Living Years by Mike & The Mechanics, Hines recounts the death of her older brother, Dwight, with whom she was very close.
When her mother told a 27-year old Hines of her brother's suicide, she burst into tears.
"My mother told me to shut up: 'Look, I took that child through measles, mumps and chicken pox. I gave birth to that child. That's my son. Don't cry. Go home and bury him.' And I did just that," Hines wrote.
She says she hasn't always found it easy to share such personal feelings and experiences, but now finds it helps to ease the pain.
"It's really cathartic," she said.
"That song is for those people who have the luxury of saying goodbye and those who didn't, but they kind of know it's OK."
Since 2003 Hines has appeared on television as a judge on Australian Idol.
Despite rumours earlier this year that she was fed up with her fellow judges Mark Holden, Ian Dickson and Kyle Sandilands and might quit the show, Hines said she wasn't going anywhere.
"No, those boys get on my nerves sometimes, but I really like this gig so I don't think I'm going anywhere," she said.
And she knows the popular reality show has opened her up to a whole new audience.
"For me to say no I'd be trying to kid you and myself and the rest of the world," she said, laughing.
"It's been amazing.
"It's resuscitated my career in many ways and it's introduced me to kids."
Hines was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame earlier this year but says she is far from retiring from the world of music and performing.
The singer says she's not happy when she's not working, and has a tour with Lionel Richie to look forward to next month.
"I've been able to create music for some time and that's a great thing," Hines said.
"It's just one of the most wonderful things you can imagine."
And she says she hopes to keep growing and improving with age.
"(I want to become) an even better performer," she said.
"When you think you're all that and a bag of chips it's time to hang it up.
"We're all a work in progress and I do hope to just get better and better and better."
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