By Clare BruceFriday 13 May 2016Guests and ArtistsReading Time: 3 minutes
Dami Im has made it through to the Eurovision finals after a stunning live performance early this morning, and has many people to thank: her fans, her ‘Dami Army’ supporters, her parents—and God.
At a press conference last week the Brisbane-based pop sensation told an international gathering of journalists that she believed she was chosen to represent Australia in the first place because her parents prayed.
“To me this was the best opportunity for me. My parents have been praying I would get selected – and that’s why I was selected,” she said.
Tears of joy: Dami in tears of joy, next to husband Noah, after finding out she was in the finals.
In this morning’s Semi-Final 2 in Stockholm, Dami began her performance of Sound Of Silence sitting atop a giant glittering podium, wearing a sparkling space-age ball gown to match.
Her spectacular, anthemic performance, watched by a global audience of roughly 200 million, was close to flawless.
The Bladerunner-style production, with its futuristic cityscape, was the work of a team led by arts director Paul Clarke, while the song itself was written by Sydney-based duo David Musumeci and Anthony Egizii – better known as DNA.
Watch: The official music video for Dami Im’s ‘Sound of Silence’
Dami’s Tears After Her Spectacular Performance
Dami told journalists after the performance that she was overwhelmed by the experience.
“I went on [stage] and I could picture all my family watching from Australia, which made me a bit nervous,” she said. I don’t normally cry but when I saw all the fans singing along and cheering for me, I burst into tears after my performance – because I was just touched by how everybody was so supportive of me.”
‘One Of The Nicest’ In The Industry, A Woman of Faith
Overjoyed: Dami Im and her husband Noah celebrate her success this morning
Dami Im came to Australia at the age of nine from Korea, and learnt English by singing along to pop songs. She has played classical piano for most of her life, but came to the nation’s attention in 2013 when she won X Factor.
“Industry figures will tell you, Dami is one of the nicest people you could meet in the business”
Herald Sun reporter Luke Dennehey spoke highly of Dami’s character, writing today that her success proves “nice people can win”.
“Entertainment journalists and industry figures around the country will tell you, Dami is one of the nicest people you could meet in a business that can be full of egos, divas and tantrums,” he wrote.
Dami is a committed Christian and along with her social-worker husband Noah is an ambassador for Compassion Australia.
Finals On Saturday
Her entry in the European song contest follows Guy Sebastian’s ‘wildcard’ entry last year with his song Tonight Again.
On Sunday morning Dami will compete in the Eurovision finals against artists from 9 other nations, including Russia, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Ukraine and the UK.
The event will be broadcast live on SBS TV. She’s also tracking her movements on her official Eurovision Vlog.