Having won The X Factor Australia in 2013, Dami Im was famous at home before she entered Eurovision in 2016, but her stunning performance at that year's Grand Final in Stockholm instantly won her an international fanbase. Sitting atop a glittering oversize box as she sang 'Sound of Silence', a classic-sounding power ballad with a very contemporary reference to FaceTime, Dami delivered one of the great Eurovision vocals of the decade.
Her reward was a seriously impressive second-place finish behind Jamala's '1944', which remains Australia's best performance in the contest to date. 'Sound of Silence' has become such a fan favourite that it's been chosen to compete in tonight's BBC One replacement show, Eurovision: Come Together, which will give viewers the chance to vote for their favourite Eurovision song ever.
When Dami calls me from her home in Australia, she's still laughing about a "technical disaster" of a virtual Eurovision party that she joined earlier in the week. Like everyone else, she's incredibly disappointed that this year's contest had to be cancelled, but says she's getting more Eurovision requests than ever as fans crave content to fill the gaping hole left by the annual extravaganza.
She also speaks candidly about whether she's still keen to take a second shot at Eurovision glory in the near future.
When you entered Eurovision back in 2016, did you have any idea it would become this huge thing that people would ask you about for years to come?
"I don't think anybody that goes in realises how big and crazy this world of Eurovision is. It's like another universe and there's this whole culture around it and fans who follow it year after year. I love being part of that. But I do remember when I got off my flight to Sweden – which from Australia is basically a 24-hour flight – thinking: 'OK, when I take this 24-hour flight home again, I'll have this number, my Eurovision placing, next to my name for the rest of my life.' So I definitely felt the pressure as soon as I arrived."
Well, thankfully you ended up with a really impressive number next to your name. Did you have any specific aims going in?
"On that plane, I remember thinking, 'Oh my God, is it going to be 20? Is it going to be 10?' Our result the previous year had been fifth place, so I remember thinking that if I could just do better than fifth, I would be stoked. So coming second, honestly I was so, so proud of it."
At the final, did you know as you walked off stage that you'd absolutely smashed your performance?
"I was very, very happy with how it went. I could just hear it in the audience's reaction – it was phenomenal. And I knew I hadn't stuffed up any words and there were no major disasters! Obviously we rehearsed so many times before the actual performance, so if I'd have got anything wrong, I'd have known instantly. Luckily everything went smoothly so I was just relieved I could enjoy the applause. That was honestly one of the best feelings ever."
How is Eurovision perceived in Australia? Obviously here in the UK, there are still people who, ignorantly, think of it as a bit of a joke.
"All the artists that go into it, we take it very seriously – a lot of artists want that opportunity to represent Australia at the biggest song contest in the world. I mean, that's a huge honour for any artist. And no-one I know thinks it's a joke. But I guess with the public, they either think it's fun and amazing, or they think it's a joke – I guess that still happens. And there's also a lot of people who are still confused and still ask: 'Why are we in Eurovision?' I'm always like, 'Because it's awesome! Because it's so much fun!'"
I'll try to put this diplomatically: Australia's Eurovision record over the last half decade is just a little more impressive than the UK's. Is there anything we can learn from the way you guys approach it?
"Oh, gosh... well, I think Australia is very neutral, which definitely helps. There's no rivalry with other nations or anything like that because Australia's so far away! I don't know what it's like in the UK, but here, even though we've only been part of the contest for a few years, it's a huge thing for an artist to compete in Eurovision, so in that way we treat it seriously. I think we try to send the best of the best – that's got to be the first thing you do to get a great result."
And then I guess every element has to fall into place: song, staging, performance on the night.
"And you have to be a bit lucky as well. When we were putting my performance together, at first we didn't really know what we were going to do. Like, every piece of the puzzle came together one by one. It wasn't like: 'OK, this is the overall concept, so we need this kind of outfit and this kind of staging.' It was like: 'Well, this kind of outfit suits me, which means I'm not gonna dance, so maybe we'll put me on a box.' Everything came together one thing at a time and it turned into something really special that drew attention to the song. But I guess if you do it that way, maybe it could end up great, or maybe it could end up being a disaster."
Would you ever want to act as a kind of "Eurovision coach" for another artist?
"Hahaha! Oh man, I don't think artists would appreciate me ringing up and saying: 'I'm gonna be your coach.' They'd be like, 'eff you, I don't need anyone like that.' But I mean, every year the Australian representative does call me – and probably calls the other [past] Australian representatives as well – to ask for tips and find out about my experience. I try and tell them to the best of my ability how to prepare and what kind of things to look out for."
You were planning to compete to represent Australia again in 2021, but now we know that Montaigne's going to be reselected for next year's contest. Are you still keen to try again in 2022?
"Oh, gosh, I was really excited about the whole thing of me going back next year. And you know, I was excited about watching Montaigne perform this year and going out there [to Rotterdam] and enjoying it all. You know, I was just really looking forward to getting in the game again and I had this whole plan in my head for the next year. But now it's so far away that at the moment, I'm not really sure that I still want to go back into it. I don't know, I'll really have to think about it now because so much has changed."
I guess you don't want to run the risk of going back and diminishing your Eurovision legacy.
"I mean, if I go back, I want to do everything perfectly. For me, there's no excuse to do a bad job. Like, I've done it once before so I really want it to be incredible and there is definitely a lot of pressure. I was already thinking about songs and how I wanted to do it, but as I say, now it's just too far away. At the moment, I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen next month, let alone in two years' time, you know?"
How did you rate Montaigne's chances this year?
"I really like the song and I did think that out of all the acts [that competed to represent Australia] she had the best chance this year. You know, it's all about the song and how it suits the individual artist, and I think the song suits her really well. The way she performed, the way she sang it, everything is very authentic to her, so I was excited to see how it was gonna go."
Obviously you just released a duet with Mans Zelmerlow ('Walk with Me'), but do you chat regularly with many other Eurovision contestants – is there a WhatsApp group even?
"Ha! Well, I mean, I don't just text other artists out of the blue. But I feel like Mans, definitely, he's a friend so we can talk if we want to. And I feel like with Conchita, we can talk too. We've had a chance to cross paths because she came to Australia when I was announced as the representative for Australia in 2016 – it was during her concert that I got announced, so there's a relationship there. So they're definitely my two Eurovision besties."
And finally, how's work going on your new album?
"I've been writing songs and making demos, but I'm going into the proper studio – not just my home studio – at the end of this month, which is so exciting because it feels like proper work. And I get to go outside my house. So I've got a few songs [in the bag] and hopefully I'll release a single this year and the album at the beginning of next year."
Was it important for you to record original songs this time after releasing a couple of covers albums in a row?
"I've been wanting to do my own songs for a very long time, but it just wasn't the right time with my label. But now, I really feel like I need to do my own songs, no matter what. I've waited too long for this album to happen. The covers thing, I really enjoyed doing them, but it was more like a bridge between my original albums that I'm really super-passionate about."
Follow Dami Im on Twitter @damiandmusic
