Meet Dami Im

Meet Dami Im. Some of you may not know her now but she is definitely a singer that you will be hearing a lot of in the near future. I got to know about Dami Im from my wife who has been raving about her for the past few weeks.

Dami Im (Korean: 임다미, born 17 October 1988), a South Korean-born Australian singer, shot to fame as the winner of the fifth series of The X Factor Australia in 2013 and is the most successful X Factor Australia contestant-to-date.

After winning The X Factor, she signed with Sony Music Australia and released her winner's single "Alive". Four days after release, "Alive" debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling over 70,000 copies. Im's self-titled album was released on 15 November 2013 and features studio recordings of songs she performed on The X Factor. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum for shipments of more than 70,000 units. Im became the first X Factor Australia contestant to follow up a number one single with a number one album on the ARIA Charts.

Dami Im’s parents are Hae Yun Lee, a trained opera singer, and Dong Eal Im. She is the oldest of two children and began learning the piano at the age of five and taught herself to sing by recording herself copying her favourite artists. When she was 9, she emigrated to Australia with her mother and younger brother Kenny because their parents thought they would have more opportunity growing up in Australia. They stayed with their uncle in Brisbane, while her father stayed in South Korea to earn money to support them.

When she was 11, Im began studying at the Young Conservatorium of Music program at Griffith University. She was a national finalist in the Yamaha Youth Piano Competition, and won the Nora Baird Scholarship and the Queensland Piano Competition several times. She 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, she graduated from the University of Queensland with first class honours in a Bachelor of Music. She subsequently completed a Masters of Arts degree in contemporary voice at Griffith University. Prior to entering The X Factor, she was a music and piano teacher.

Im had a short career as a gospel singer in Korea, performing at Christian youth camps and releasing a couple of albums. K-pop music was her inspiration in regard to her love and passion for singing, with her citing BoA along with Lee Juk and Kim Dong-ryool as her favourite singers. Her musical influences are Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Chris Tomlin and BoA.

Im is a Christian and a member of the Brisbane Full Gospel Church in Eight Mile Plains, Queensland. She met Noah Kim, a former South Korean military serviceman, at the church and they were married in Seoul, South Korea in September 2012. Im and her husband live in Daisy Hill, a suburb of Logan City. In October 2013, she was named the cultural ambassador for Logan City and was presented with the key to the city by mayor Pam Parker at a ceremony on 4 December 2013.

Dami Im with her husband Noah Kim