‘Glad I’m out of there’: Dami Im’s middle finger to Sony

Words: Andrew McMillen Producer: Louise Starkey

The industry cliché for an artist and a label parting ways is 'creative differences'. But in the case of Australian pop star Dami Im, the truth goes much deeper.

More than a year after Im decided to call it quits with Sony Music, she spilt the beans to The Australian's Andrew McMillen while filming her latest track, Pray , where she revealed she didn't want to live out "someone else's vision".

Dami Im

Im’s music career took off when she won fifth series of talent show The X Factor in 2013. Video: Seven Network

It led to what looked like a powerhouse chorus for the 33-year-old's career — kickstarting the Dami Army, her core fanbase, and the opportunity to represent Australia at the Euro­vision Song Contest in 2016.

However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows for Im, who in August 2020 decided to leave Sony Music to sign with a smaller competitor, ABC Music, due to "creative differences".

She remained tight-lipped on the decision to leave until October 2021, where she revealed her struggles working under senior executives at Sony Music Australia. Video: Dami Im | YouTube

Her difficulties were highlighted in the lyrics of Dreamer — a song she performed as a guest at the Eurovision: Australia Decides event on the Gold Coast in February 2019. Video: Eurovision — Australia Decides | SBS

By this point in her career, Im had released four albums with Sony —three composed almost entirely of covers. This was because the label insisted Im’s future success lay in performing the work of others.

Talent shows such as The X Factor were previously designed as an arranged marriage of sorts. If an artist won, they agreed to relinquish any pre­existing management, allowing a record label to ­control all aspects of their career, including artist development, marketing and distribution.

In response to questions from The Weekend Australian Magazine, Sony would not comment on Im’s claims; in relation to the issues raised in a Four Corners program, it said: "We take all allegations of bullying, harassment and other inappropriate behaviour from our employees very seriously and investigate them vigorously."