With her new album I Hear A Song looming on the horizon, Australian star Dami Im talked to Myf Warhurst about her music.

Dami Im talked to Myf Warhurst, who was one of Australia’s Eurovision 2017 commentators, on ABC Local Radio, Tuesday 20 March 2018.

In the interview, Dami Im looks back at her Eurovision 2016 success, talks about her music and looks forward to her forthcoming album I Hear A Song, a musical tribute to grand female vocalists such as Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone.

Eurovision retrospective

Dami Im impressed at Eurovision 2016 with her powerful entry Sound of silence, eventually placing 2nd. She looks back very positively on the event, being overwhelmed by the millions of enthousiastic fans who supported her. For Dami Im it was an almost otherwordly experience. She did not expect to do so well and after processing it, Dami Im was convinced that her music touched people. It kindled her musical fire, leading up to venturing overseas with her music.

Hard work

Dami Im came to Australia at a young age, already playing the piano. Her music helped her with establishing herself in her new home country. Also, Dami Im’s mother was a opera-singer and a big inspiration for her. Dedication and hard work, following her passion for music, were always important to Dami Im.

Secret singer

The piano was Dami Im’s foremost musical expression. In fact, her family did not know about her singing abilities for quite some time, as Dami Im reserved them for church, singing in a gospel choir, or she sang in the privacy of her bedroom. Her mainstream breakthrough came when she participated in, and eventually won, the talent show The X Factor Australia in 2013.

I Hear A Song

Dami Im’s upcoming album celebrates great female artists and performers. She interpets songs in her own distinct voice, creating very intimate versions. One of the songs on the album is You don’t have to say you love me by Dusty Springfield, and Myf Warhurst played a part of the song during the radio show.

Choosing for female artists came quite naturally to Dami Im, as many of the singers were inspirations to her. She feels a connection to them, looking up to them as role models. More than just musical icons, many of the female artists were also socially active, which also encouraged Dami Im to pay tribute to them.

Nashville

For I Hear A Song, Dami Im travelled to Nashville, Tennessee, getting new musical inspiration. She teamed up with acclaimed Australian producer/singer-songwriter Rick Price and worked with top musicians, feeling the musical vibe of the American city. Recording in Nashville, predominantly renowned for its connection to country music, gave a new depth and dimension to Dami Im’s album, of which she is very proud.

I Hear A Song will be officially released on Friday 23 March 2018.

Listen to the interview here.

About Dami Im

Dami Im (Seoul, South-Korea, 1988) is an Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of South-Korean descent. She started playing piano from a young age, and emigrated with her family to Australia at age nine. After a career as a gospel singer in South-Korea, Dami Im’s main breakthrough came when she won the fifth season of the popular TV-show The X Factor Australia in 2013.

Dami Im represented Australia at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden. With her song Sound of silence she won Semi-Final 2 with 330 points. In the Grand Final, Dami Im eventually reached the second place, winning the jury vote and placing fourth overall in the televote, earning 511 points, so far the highest score achieved by an Australian participant in the ESC.

Sound of silence became a hit across Europe and in Australia. Dami Im went on her highly successful Yesterday Once More-tour after Eurovision.

Enjoy Dami Im performing Sound of silence during the Grand Final of Eurovision 2016 once again: