Dami Im (Korean: 임다미, born 17 October 1988) is a South Korean-born Australi… Read Full Bio ↴Dami Im (Korean: 임다미, born 17 October 1988) is a South Korean-born Australian singer, best known as the winner of the fifth series of The X Factor Australia in 2013. She subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia and released her winner's single "Alive", which debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Dami Im was born in South Korea and emigrated to Australia at the age of nine, with her mother and younger brother. Im's father Dong Eal Im stayed in South Korea to support the family. Her parents now live together, spending part of the year in Australia and part in South Korea. Im taught herself to sing by recording herself copying her favourite artists. At the age of 11, she began studying at the Young Conservatorium of Music program at Griffith University. Aside from singing, Im is also a violinist and pianist. She was a national finalist in the Yamaha Youth Piano Competition, and won the Nora Baird Scholarship and the Queensland Piano Competition several times. Im attended John Paul College in Daisy Hill, Queensland and graduated in 2005. She never sang while at school and would only accompany the choir on piano, and play violin for the school's Silver Strings group. In 2009, Im graduated from the University of Queensland with first class honours in a Bachelor of Music. Prior to entering The X Factor, Im was a music and piano teacher.

Im had a short career as a gospel singer in Korea. In 2010, she released a studio album, Dream, which consisted of nine tracks and was recorded to raise money for church endeavours. In July 2011, Im re-released the album with two extra tracks, which were both sung in English. On 5 December 2011, Im released a Christmas extended play called Snow & Carol, which consisted of seven tracks. On 9 July 2012, Im released Intimacy, which consisted of five tracks.

Im successfully auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor Australia in 2013. She sang "Hero" by Mariah Carey and progressed to the super bootcamp stage of the competition. On the first day of bootcamp, Im was placed in the Under 25 Girls category and sang "I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne in front of her entire category and judges Redfoo, Ronan Keating and Dannii Minogue. On the second day of super bootcamp, she was put into an ensemble of 10 and they sang "Next to Me" by Emeli Sandé in front of the judges. Im made it to the third day of bootcamp, where she sang "Jolene" by Dolly Parton to the judges and a live audience of one thousand. After the judges made changes to the Boys, Girls and Overs categories, Im became part of the newly formed Over 24s category and she got eliminated. However, Im was called back for home visits in New York City to replace Matt Gresham who decided he could not commit to the competition. During home visits, she sang "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé in front of her mentor Dannii Minogue and guest mentor Kylie Minogue. Dannii later selected Im, along with Barry Southgate and Cat Vas, for the live finals—a series of ten weekly live shows in which contestants are progressively eliminated by public vote.

For the Judges' Choice-themed first live show, Im sang "One" by U2 and received a standing ovation from the judges. Natalie Bassingthwaighte said she had "the best vocal of the night." Im's performance of "One" peaked at number 42 on the ARIA Singles Chart. For the Legends-themed second live show, she sang "Purple Rain" by Prince and received another standing ovation. Keating told Im that the competition "at the moment, is yours." Her performance of "Purple Rain" debuted at number 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart. For the Top 10 Hits-themed third live show, Im sang Thelma Houston's version of "Don't Leave Me This Way", and her performance of the song debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 67. Following the eliminations of Vas (in week two) and Southgate (in week three), Im became the only remaining contestant in the Over 24s category. After her performance of Katy Perry's "Roar" in the Latest and Greatest-themed fourth live show, Im received her fourth consecutive standing ovation from the judges. Im's performance of "Roar" debuted at number 44 on the ARIA Singles Chart. For the Rock-themed fifth live show, she sang "Best of You" by the Foo Fighters and received her fifth standing ovation. Keating told Im that it is "an honour to work on this show with talent like you." Im's performance of "Best of You" debuted at number 78 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Following Im's performance of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" in the Family Heroes-themed sixth live show, her mentor Dannii notably teared up as she dedicated Im's song choice to her parents and grandfather, following the death of her grandmother. Im's performance of "Bridge over Troubled Water" debuted at number 15 on the ARIA Singles Chart. For the Judges' Challenge-themed seventh live show, Im sang Zedd's "Clarity", which was chosen by Keating, and her performance debuted at number 77 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Im received a mixed feedback from the judges following her performance of John Farnham's "You're the Voice" during the Aussie Week-themed eighth live show. Keating said "it was pitchy and a weak performance" and Bassingthwaighte agreed. For the Power and Passion-themed ninth live show, Im sang "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston and "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. Her performances of "Wrecking Ball" and "Saving All My Love for You" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at numbers 61 and 85 respectively.

During the grand final performance show on 27 October, Im was required to perform three songs – her audition song, winner's single and last shot song. Im's winner's single was "Alive" and her last shot song was "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going". Her performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", which debuted at number 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart, saw all four judges standing on the desk. Redfoo said Im's performance was "the best thing I've ever seen in my life", while Dannii added that she is "world class." Im's performance of "Hero" debuted at number 62. During the grand final decider show the following day, Im was announced as the winner.

After winning The X Factor, Im's single "Alive" was released on iTunes. She also received a recording contract with Sony Music Australia and a management deal. Four days after release, "Alive" debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling 35,000 copies. In November 2013, Im will embark on The X Factor Live Tour across Australia with Third Degree, Taylor Henderson, Jiordan Tolli and Jai Waetford. Her self-titled album Dami Im will be released on 15 November 2013, and features studio recordings of songs she performed on The X Factor.

Im was selected by broadcaster SBS to represent Australia at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden where she will perform a new song called "Sound of Silence". She was revealed as the Australian representative on March 3, 2016 during 2014 winner Conchita Wurst's concert in Sydney.

Im cites Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae and Chris Tomlin as her musical influences. Aside from singing, she also plays piano and violin.

Let Go
Dami Im Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

That summer at the beach was the time I won't forget
I could feel your heartbeat, running my fingers through your hair
[?] 'cause my eyes were on you
All those waves crushing along, premonition coming true
You were slipping through my fingers, like a hand full of sand
I tryina catch small with my b-b-bare hands
I didn't read that stupid write along on that stupid wall
I went ahead and got attached, now I can't let go

'Cause you're the Good to my bye
The Tom to my Jerry, the day to my night
I'll never be ready to let go let go let go let go let go
And time isn't like us, it's been three years and
I'll never get tired of wishin' you were here,
I'll never let go let go let go let go let go let go let go

They say time heals all, but would you look at where I stand
When opens skies are showing no medallions in my head
Three years on the track, and I'm still coming less
Tryina catch my breath but took all I had
Now I miss your blue eyes first thing in the morning
Fool the [?], a goodbye kiss, slap you on the forehead
We'll be at the crack of dawn, but boy I didn't give a damn
'Cause at least back then leaving was a temporary thing!

'Cause you're the Good to my Bye
The Tom to my Jerry, the day to my night
I'll never be ready to let go let go let go let go let go
And time isn't like us, it's been three years and
I'll never get tired of wishing' you were here,
I'll never let go let go let go let go let go let go let go

Every little detail screamed at me
Said don't you fall temporary love
Yeah that's all it was!
But I know I'll remember all those times together
Long nights, we were to storm!
This can't be ooooo-oooo-over

'Cause you're the Good to my Bye
The Tom to my Jerry, the day to my night
I'll never be ready to let go let go let go let go let go
And time isn't like us, it's been three years and
I'll never get tired of wishin' you were here,

I'll never let go let go let go let go let go let go let go
[x2]

Overall Meaning

In the song Let Go, Dami Im reminisces about a summer romance that she had at the beach. The memories of that time have stayed with her, and she can still feel the warmth of their love. She reflects on how she didn't think much about the future, as her whole world was focused on being with her lover. They were like sand slipping through her fingers, and despite knowing that she shouldn't get too attached, she did. She confesses that even after three years, she is still not ready to let go, and time has not healed the pain of separation. She admits that she misses her lover's blue eyes and the good times they shared together, and that she knows that their love was only temporary. However, she still hopes to see her lover again someday and relive the moments they shared.

The lyrics of the song are emotional and relatable to anyone who has ever experienced a summer romance. Dami Im's vocals add to the sentimentality of the song, making it a poignant reminder of the heartbreak that comes with love. The lyrics have a melancholic tone and a sense of longing, which makes the song so memorable.

Line by Line Meaning

That summer at the beach was the time I won't forget
The memory of that summer at the beach will remain with me forever.

I could feel your heartbeat, running my fingers through your hair
I felt your love and affection deeply as I ran my fingers through your hair.

[?] 'cause my eyes were on you
I was distracted by you because my focus was entirely on you.

All those waves crushing along, premonition coming true
The crashing of waves foretold what was coming to pass.

You were slipping through my fingers, like a hand full of sand
Your presence was fading away again, like sand slipping through my grip.

I tryina catch small with my b-b-bare hands
I was desperate and tried to catch you with my bare hands.

I didn't read that stupid write along on that stupid wall
I didn't pay attention to what was written on the wall warning me about temporary love.

I went ahead and got attached, now I can't let go
I foolishly got attached and now I am unable to let go.

'Cause you're the Good to my bye
You were the perfect counterpart to my goodbye.

The Tom to my Jerry, the day to my night
You complemented me in every way just like Tom complements Jerry and day complements night.

I'll never be ready to let go let go let go let go let go
I am simply not able to let go of you completely, no matter how hard I try.

And time isn't like us, it's been three years and
Unlike us, time moves on, and it has been three years since you left.

I'll never get tired of wishin' you were here,
I will never stop wishing you were here with me.

I'll never let go let go let go let go let go let go let go
I am not willing to let go of what I had with you, ever.

They say time heals all, but would you look at where I stand
Although they say time heals all wounds, I am still stuck in the past.

When opens skies are showing no medallions in my head
When I look up to the sky, I see no sign of hope or happiness in my life.

Three years on the track, and I'm still coming less
Even after three years, I am still struggling and making little progress without you.

Tryina catch my breath but took all I had
I am trying to catch my breath, but it seems to be taking all my strength.

Now I miss your blue eyes first thing in the morning
I miss waking up to the sight of your beautiful blue eyes every morning.

Fool the [?], a goodbye kiss, slap you on the forehead
I remember fondly how we would fool around, say goodbye with a kiss, and a playful slap on the forehead.

We'll be at the crack of dawn, but boy I didn't give a damn
We did crazy things like stay up until dawn, but it didn't matter to me as long as we were together.

'Cause at least back then leaving was a temporary thing!
The thought of leaving was only temporary back then, unlike now.

Every little detail screamed at me
Every detail reminded me of you and our memories together.

Said don't you fall temporary love
I should have listened when the details warned me not to fall for temporary love.

Yeah that's all it was!
It was just temporary love, nothing more.

But I know I'll remember all those times together
I know I will never forget our time together and our happy moments.

Long nights, we were to storm!
We braved through many long nights together and came out stronger.

This can't be ooooo-oooo-over
I refuse to accept that what we had together is over.

[x2]
Repeat the last verse.

Contributed by Alexander E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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