Dami Im, the Korean-Australian winner of “The X Factor,” a talent show concert program on Australia’s Channel 7, is actively building her musical career with concert tours set for Australia and elsewhere.

Im released her new single, “Jolene,” on March 11, covering Dolly Parton’s 1973 original. Earlier this January, she recorded the single “I am Australian” and gave a concert in North Sydney on January 26 to mark Australia Day, the largest national holiday in the country, alongside top Australian pop stars Jessica Mauboy, Justice Crew and Taylor Henderson.

Australian viewers were touched by her story: the transformation from a shy, less-than-confident 20-something girl into a charismatic pop diva with a great voice. Her fans focus on her musical talent as well as the surprising change and miracle she underwent.





Im experienced a tough time during ”The X-Factor,” having been eliminated in one of the earlier episodes when she forgot her lyrics. Surprisingly, however, she survived, as one of the other competitors gave up their position. After coming back to the competition, she continued to make progress. She overwhelmed her competitors by flawlessly singing Jennifer Hudson’s "And I am Telling You," Prince’s "Purple Rain" and U2’s "One."

Her debut single “Alive,” which brought her victory on “The X-Factor,” ranked top of the iTunes charts upon its release in November last year. After winning the talent show, Im traveled across Australia, touring New Castle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, entertaining her fans everywhere she went. A total of 23,355 copies of her debut album “Dami Im” were sold in its first week on sale. It ranked third in the ARIA Albums Chart in late 2013. That is an amazing place to be, considering the timing of the release last November.

Im recently travelled to India to meet a young woman she has been personally sponsoring for the past many years through an international charity. Korea.net sat down with her after her return, to ask her a few questions about her success.

- You recorded your new single, “I am Australian,” to mark Australia Day. How did you feel singing the song, being a Korea-born Australian?
I felt special that I had the chance to represent the many different faces of Australia. A large number of Australians was born in different countries, so by being a Korea-born Australian singing ‘I am Australian,’ I felt that I was reflecting that diversity.

- You initially began your music career playing classical instruments, like piano and violin, but not singing. What made you start singing?
I’ve been learning piano since I was 5 and always knew that I was going to become a classical pianist when I grew older. During my teenage years, however, I fell in love with a K-pop artist named BoA. Since then, I’ve been very much interested in pop singing, more than anything else. I secretly started practicing in my room, which became an obsession.

- In the earlier episodes of “The X Factor,” you looked, perhaps, nervous or less confident, but you seemed to become more charismatic and dominant on stage with every episode. How did you gain confidence and make such a dramatic transformation in such a short period of time? Was it effort and hard work, or did you have a secret talent hidden inside you?
Singing for a television audience wasn’t something that I had done before. It felt strange, performing in front of such a huge crowd and with the cameras staring back at me. I guess, over time, I really wanted to overcome the fear and grab the opportunity to continue singing, so I kept convincing myself that I really needed to do this and that I was going to be more confident! I think that worked and I got more used to the strange surroundings.

- What made you decide to participate in “The X Factor”? What was the most difficult thing about it, if there were any? How did you overcome it?
I loved singing and I was singing in Korea from time to time as a gospel singer, but I felt that I wanted to sing in Australia, which was where I grew up and where my family and my husband were. I thought auditioning on “The X Factor” would be something that could help me find out how to gain an audience in Australia.

- Is there any Korean singer you like? As a pop singer, what is your view of K-pop? Korean fans would love to see you on stage. Do you have any plan to visit Korea?
I loved K-pop music since I was young. From Ju-ju Club to Finkl, to BoA, I always had an obsession with someone. I still listen to K-pop from time to time when I find someone I really like.

- Do you have any memorable messages or gifts you’ve received from your fans? If so, what are they?
I’m incredibly lucky to have really amazing fans. I have a fan who lives in Argentina that finds numerous photos of me at gigs and other events, even before I find them, and posts them on Facebook. I once received a giant teddy bear the size of me. I really do appreciate all the letters and gifts that I get from fans because I think it’s their way of encouraging me to make more music to encourage other people.

- What does music means to you? What songs do you wish to sing in the future?
Music is, firstly, a way of expressing myself and, secondly, an instrument to communicate with others. I want to sing more songs to which people can relate; songs that speak to people in times of joy and sadness.

- Do you have any role model? If so, who is it?
My role model would be my husband. He is definitely someone I look up to. He always puts other people’s needs before his and is always calm and positive.

- People compare you with Beyoncé. In fact, some have even dubbed you as, “the second Beyoncé.” What do you think about that?
Really? I think that is incredibly flattering, but I don’t even know how that is possible to compare Beyoncé and myself. I think she is one of the most amazing artists in the world, but I will never be Beyoncé, no matter how hard I try. All I can do is to be the best Dami I can be!

- What do you most hope to do in the future?
I hope to inspire more people with the music that I make. I’m an ambassador for Compassion, an organization that helps release children from poverty. I hope that more people sponsor children through Compassion.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr