Dami Im

Dami Im first drew widespread attention through her record-setting performance representing Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest and through her triumph in the fifth season of The X Factor Australia. After claiming victory on the program, she secured a deal with Sony Australia and issued the winning track “Alive” in 2013, which entered the ARIA Singles Chart in the top position. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she relocated with her family to Brisbane, Australia, at the age of nine so that she and her younger sister could enjoy greater opportunities. She participated in the Young Conservatorium of Music program at Griffith University, after which she briefly performed at Christian youth camps and put out the 2010 album Dream to support her church community.

She tried out for The X Factor Australia in 2013 and advanced through the competition under the guidance of mentor Kylie Minogue. Standout interpretations during the series included her renditions of U2’s “One” and Prince’s “Purple Rain.” Building on that exposure, she became the first winner of the program to follow a chart-topping single with a number-one album, her self-titled debut. For her next project, the 2014 release Heart Beats, she moved away from the cover-based approach of Dami Im—which drew directly from her earlier X Factor appearances—toward an album of newly written material.

Selected in 2016 to represent Australia at Eurovision, she performed “Sound of Silence” and thereby became the first Australian entrant to reach the semi-finals while also posting a landmark score of 320, the highest tally ever recorded for the country. Later that same year she issued her third studio album, returning once more to the covers format by interpreting songs originally recorded by the Carpenters.