‘I know who I am’: Singer Dami Im on Eurovision, The X Factor and finding her voice
Eurovision queen Dami Im has shaken off her feelings of doubt to take control of her career – and life – seven years after winning The X Factor.
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Eurovision queen Dami Im has shaken off her “impostor syndrome” to take control of her artistic career seven years after winning The X Factor.
The singer and songwriter releases the “empowering” new single Paper Dragon this week after finding a new label home with ABC Music.
The song, written by Im with emerging local artist ELKI, was originally intended to launch her bid for another crack at the Eurovision crown next year.
But when the 2020 song contest was cancelled due to COVID-19 and Montaigne was confirmed to represent Australia in 2021, Im decided to release Paper Dragon now.
The song is reminiscent of Sound of Silence, the soaring pop song which won the power-lunged singer thousands of fans around the globe and has amassed more than 20 million streams.
“The first few years I had no idea how I was supposed to navigate through the jungle of the music industry; it was like doing an apprenticeship,” Im said.
“Now I know who I am as an artist and have the opportunity to make my own choices, to call the shots instead of being a bird with clipped wings.”
The 31-year-old classically trained piano virtuoso said she was grateful for the opportunities afforded her after the X Factor win and the enduring loyalty of her passionate Dami Army fans.
While her previous two records – Classic Carpenters and I Hear A Song – both peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA charts, Im didn’t want to do another collection of covers and retread the well-worn path for television talent quest alumni.
She wanted to focus her creative energies on writing and recording her own songs and Im said Paper Dragon serves as a mantra to remind her of “the power of music”.
“Sometimes I felt really small, that impostor syndrome, that I didn’t have what it takes to be an artist,” she said.
“You have those ups and downs and then I realised I was born in the Year of the Dragon, and I’m not that superstitious, but writing this song and singing it back to myself made me realise I have that strength within me and I always have.”
Im is also ramping up her love of “outrageous” designer fashion alongside her new-found freedom to create the music she wants to make.
While one nasty keyboard warrior suggested a dog recently attacked her on her morning walk because of her “horrible dress”, Im is unapologetic about her love of crazy outfits.
“Somebody wrote ‘Maybe it was your horrible dress that made the dog bite you.’ That was hilarious. I do actually enjoy it when people hate on me for fashion; it’s a weird perversion of mine,” she said, laughing.
“But a lot of other people love it when I take chances and I don’t think fashion should be safe all the time.
“When I wear something like this, I’m not going to the supermarket. You’re doing a photo shoot or a gig or being an artist. It’s art.”
Im will launch Paper Dragon with a handful of concerts in Queensland, due to constraints of touring because of border closures, and is now working towards an album of original songs to be released next year.