Album Review: Dami Im – Dami Im
3 min read
As far as stereotypes go, there is a certain stigma attached to the X Factor and the winners that come with it. Dami Im however, has done everything to abolish the cynicism surrounding this title. A breath of fresh air, the South-Korean born Australian singer has become the first former X-Factor contestant to follow up a number one single with a number one album, confirming her ever growing popularity and talent on the big stage.
Im’s self-titled debut album, a collection of her best songs from the television show, which varies from Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball to Whitney Houston’s Saving All My Love For You, has debuted at number one. Her X-Factor winner’s single, Alive, topped the singles chart a month ago; a very catchy and crisp song that has a very relevant sound to an X Factor audience and beyond. By winning this year’s competition, Dami picked up a recording contract with Sony Music Australia, and It’s safe to say her path to musical stardom couldn’t be any brighter.
Not only was Dami the season’s strongest singer and most consistently exciting performer, it was her quietly confident and reserved character that was a stark contrast to what we’ve all come to expect from almost washed out talent show. Im has at long last given us an example of someone who can belt out Purple Rain while getting doused in water wearing lace dragon wings, and still personify calm and casualness in equal measure; Dami Im appears to be cut from a down to earth cloth.
Talking of wings, Dami, whose unique mix of talent and style should probably have her wearing some on the international stage, has joined the other top five contestants on a national tour, as if the nation hasn’t had an X Factor overload already. But with great power comes great responsibility, such as the glamorous plunders of the TV reality contest, but at least we have someone, potentially, who we’d like to see transcend them. Potentially being the key word in this sentence.
Contestants from Australian Idol and The Voice have done the number one single/album double many times before. Where Dami Im differs is she’s the first from The X-Factor. Im’s was one of four albums to crack the top 10 in their first week. The others were Salute by Little Mix (X Factor, England) Swing Both Ways by Robbie Williams and Nickelback’s Best Of volume 1. Not only are all of these wonderful statistics a good read, it gets better for Dami Im; she grabbed the top spot on the album chart ahead of heavyweights Katy Perry (Prism) and Eminem (The Marshall Mathers LP 2).
From a skeptic’s point of view, the self-titled album is indeed a collection of covers, anyone with half a talented voice could successfully attempt do a decent job. Dami Im took it one step further, and made those songs her own. She has shown Australia what she’s capable of, and can use the support and title of being an X Factor winner as a platform to make her mark on the international stage.
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Correction: Dami belted out Purple Rain while doused in water – not Hero – although she did belt out Hero on dry land … lol
Thanks for the heads up Terry
I freaking loved this album. My second favourite of the year, behind Katy Perry’s ‘Prism.’ I listened to Purple Rain, One, And I’m Telling You, Alive, and Hero repeatedly for weeks on end. Her rendition of Purple Rain used to get me through work every day… so yeah, I do think it’s kind of special. I didn’t even watch X-factor. I previewed her songs on iTunes, and thought she was a breath of fresh air in this dance-pop dominated world.
thanks for ur review… u give dami 4.5 I give dami perfect 10.
Thanks. We have actually given Dami the equivalent of a 9 as our scoring system is between 1 and 5.