Dami releases her dragon
X Factor alumni’s focus now on writing and recording own songs
EUROVISION queen Dami Im has shaken off her “impostor syndrome” to take control of her career, seven years after winning The X Factor.
The singer and songwriter releases the “empowering” new single Paper Dragon next week after finding a new label home with ABC Music.
The song, written by Im with emerging local artist ELKI, was originally intended to launch her bid for another crack at the Eurovision crown next year.
But when the 2020 song contest was cancelled due to COVID-19 and Montaigne was confirmed to represent Australia in 2021, Im decided to release Paper Dragon now.
The song is reminiscent of Sound of Silence, the soaring pop song which won the powerful singer thousands of fans around the globe and has amassed more than 20 million streams.
“The first few years I had no idea how I was supposed to navigate through the jungle of the music industry; it was like doing an apprenticeship,” Im said.
“Now I know who I am as an artist and have the opportunity to make my own choices, to call the shots.”
The 31-year-old classically trained piano virtuoso said she was grateful for the opportunities afforded her after the X Factor win and the enduring loyalty of her Dami Army fans.
While her previous two records – Classic Carpenters and I Hear A Song – both peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA charts, Im didn’t want to do another collection of covers and retread the well-worn path for television talent quest alumni.
She wanted to focus her creative energies on writing and recording her own songs and Im said Paper Dragon serves as a mantra to remind her of “the power of music”.
“Sometimes I felt really small, that impostor syndrome, that I didn’t have what it takes to be an artist,” she said.
“You have those ups and downs and then I realised I was born in the Year of the Dragon, and I’m not that superstitious, but writing this song and singing it back to myself made me realise I have that strength within me and I always have.”
Im is also ramping up her love of “outrageous” designer fashion alongside her newfound freedom to create the music she wants to make.