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.
Roar
Dami Im Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I said quietly, agree politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me passed the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down but I got up,
You hear my voice you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down but I got up
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now
I got the eye of the tiger, the fire
Dancing trough the fire, 'cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar
And you're gonna hear me roar
Now I'am floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned the stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero
You held me down but I got up,
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down but I got up,
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now
I got the eye of the tiger, the fire
Dancing trough the fire, 'cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar
And you're gonna hear me roar
And you're gonna hear me roar
Roar roar roar roar roar
I got the eye of the tiger, the fire
Dancing trough the fire, 'cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar
And you're gonna hear me roar
And you're gonna hear me roar
Dami Im's song "Roar" is a powerful and uplifting anthem that inspires listeners to find their inner strength and stand up for themselves. The lyrics tell the story of someone who used to be afraid to speak up and assert themselves, but has now found their confidence and is ready to take on the world. The opening lines describe the singer's former timidness and fear of making waves, showing how they used to let others control them. However, they realize that they do have a choice in how they live their life and they are not going to let others push them around anymore.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's newfound strength and determination. They compare themselves to a champion, referencing the "eye of the tiger" and the ability to dance through any obstacle. The repetition of the phrase "you're gonna hear me roar" serves to emphasize the power of their voice and the impact they will have on the world. The final verse adds to this image of strength and resilience by referencing the boxer Muhammad Ali and his ability to "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." The singer has gone from "zero to my own hero" and is now ready to face any challenge head on.
Overall, "Roar" is a song about empowerment and the importance of standing up for oneself. It encourages listeners to find their inner strength and use their voice to make a difference in their own lives and in the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
I used to keep quiet and not say anything to avoid conflict
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
I was afraid that speaking up would cause trouble and disrupt things
So I said quietly, agree politely
I would just go along with what others said or did, without expressing my own opinion
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I didn't realize or remember that I could choose to speak up and be true to myself
I let you push me passed the breaking point
I allowed others to push me too far until I reached my limit
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
Since I didn't stand up for what I believed in, I ended up believing anything or being at the mercy of others
You held me down but I got up, Already brushing off the dust
Even though you tried to keep me down, I got back up and kept going
You hear my voice you hear that sound, Like thunder gonna shake the ground
My voice and my determination are so strong that they can make a huge impact and bring about change
Get ready 'cause I've had enough, I see it all, I see it now
I've reached my limit and won't stand for it anymore, and I now see things clearly
I got the eye of the tiger, the fire, Dancing trough the fire, 'cause I am a champion, And you're gonna hear me roar
I have the strength and passion of a tiger, and I'm willing to face challenges and overcome obstacles because I am a winner, and my voice will be heard
Louder, louder than a lion
My voice will be even stronger and more powerful than a lion's roar
And you're gonna hear me roar
My determination and strength will be heard and felt by everyone
Now I'm floating like a butterfly, Stinging like a bee, I earned the stripes, I went from zero, to my own hero
I'm light and graceful like a butterfly, yet strong and powerful like a bee, and I've earned my achievements and recognition through hard work and perseverance, becoming my own hero
Roar roar roar roar roar
The repetition of 'roar' emphasizes my fierce determination and strength
Contributed by Arianna B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TheMonarchgroup
Without exception EVERY cover version that Dami does is far better than the original, she has the amazing ability to make every song her own.
manuel cano
Every song that Dami sings turn into gold. She's an alchemist.
judy lee
She takes everything and makes It her own. no trying to sound like. no hesitation, she just owns it. i hope against hope she keeps it up and also keeps that naivete, sweetness, natural beauty. She just needs to stay who she is in these moments and there will be no end to what she can do.
Putu Nofa
Judy Clark yzuzuzuzuzizizioreooeoeepepepepeppepeS99S8SS8a9ss8sisis/p9Z9Z9SS9SISQOQOOOOOOOOOSPSPSPSPSOPQAOOSSOSOAPSQOQP L
DocDLH
She must also be incredibly nice; all of the judges seem to honestly just love her -- talent or not!
Mike 29
Agree. Great personality, nice person, great talent. No arrogance, doesn't think she's anything special, just a humble nice girl
Endless space.
Yes Dami is the most gorgeous person I have ever met, softly spoken, humble, just lovely.
Phillip Gomes
I was not any big fan of this song before today....but when I heard her singing this song today....I mean...OH MY GOD...that was just amazing....!!!
Jennerman J
agreed Awesome
lourdes buelo
Hurray!!!!! Dami Im...I love everything on you every time you perform... GOD bless!