Before Australia’s Eurovision entrant Dami Im took to the stage, before a crowd of more than 10,000 people in Stockholm and a television audience of roughly 180 million, she made a pact with her parents.
"We said we were going to be happy no matter what happened," Im said. "Even if I don’t win, we were going to be so happy, and we all agreed to that."
But the 27-year-old Queenslander said the infamous Eurovision scoring system brought out her parents’ competitive streak.
"When they realised I was coming second, they were probably slightly disappointed because they’re competitive," she added, laughing.
"But they were relieved because now they can have their daughter back."
After a tight finish in which the identity of the winner was kept secret to the last moment, Im landed in second place from a field of more than 40 countries that competed in the annual singing competition.
She was narrowly beaten by Ukraine’s Jamala.
The X-Factor winner is now concentrating on her new album and tour, Classic Carpenters.
A breath-taking homage and re-invention to one of Im’s idols, Karen Carpenter.
The show features all the classics like There’s A Kind Of Hush, Close To You, Rainy Days and Monday’s, A Song For You and more.
It will also showcase Im’s chart-topping hits Alive, Super Love, Gladiator and a reprise of her 2016 Eurovision song Sound of Silence.
For any one tuning into the X-Factor it was obvious that Im was not only an artist of the new millennium, but she possessed a devout understanding of the rich history of pop and how truly great songs are crafted.
“Growing up in Korea and Australia, The Carpenters became part of the musical fabric of my upbringing,’’ Im said.
‘‘I even sung Carpenters songs at my first paid gigs in an upmarket Chinese restaurant in Brisbane along with piano”.
For Im, Classic Carpenters is about one thing … the music.
‘‘Great songs are made to be sung and those song-lines are carried through generations,” she said.
“My intention isn’t to copy Karen’s voice or her tone, our voices naturally sound so different.
“I try to bring out the joy and the innocence in the songs while trying to sing them as honest and raw as I could as Dami, rather than pretending to be someone else.”
Along with her stellar band, Im is sure to set the stage alight with her incredibly voice and musical artistry.
- Dami Im – Yesterday Once More, Revesby Workers Club, July 23. The show starts at 8.30pm.
