INTERVIEW: Dami Im on 10 years of her Eurovision smash 'Sound Of Silence': "Eurovision helped me find the courage and the ability to choose my own lane and not have to answer to people"
Interview: Shalane Connors
Published: 7 May 2026
In just under a week, the biggest musical event on the planet - the Eurovision Song Contest - will kick off for 2026, the 70th edition of the iconic event. Watched by over 166 million people in 2025, at one point the contest was seen as an often undecipherable collection of odd, cheesy pop, but today it is more likely to blow you away with some of the greatest pop songs you otherwise would never have heard.
Australia has been participated in the contest since 2015, and some of our biggest stars - including Jessica Mauboy, Kate Miller-Heidke and Guy Sebastian - have represented the nation. This year, pop icon Delta Goodrem will take to the stage for Australia with her song ‘Eclipse’, a hot favourite to win.
In the 10 years of Australia’s participation, they have finished in the top 10 five times, but the biggest triumph came in 2016 when Dami Im’s ‘Sound of Silence’ finished in second place and came tantalising close to winning the whole thing - Im won the jury vote by a landslide and after the public vote was added, missed out on the win by a mere 23 points.
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this incredible moment, Im recently released a new version of ‘Sound of Silence’, featuring Electric Fields, who represented Australia at Eurovision in 2024. With a brighter, poppier sound, a through line of piano mixed with electro beats, plus a First Nations language verse, the new version brings a whole new feel to the song while still remaining recognisable as the gem that won over the world in 2016.
“To revisit ‘Sound of Silence’ with Electric Fields feels incredibly special,” Im says. “The completely reimagined production that Michael brought to this version truly blew me away. And Zaachariaha’s unique, soul-piercing voice and harmonies... Along with that powerful First Nations language verse… They've given the song a newfound spark and joy, as well as depth and heartbeat.
“Ten years ago, ‘Sound of Silence’ changed my life in a way I could never have imagined. Standing on the Eurovision stage was one of the most defining moments of my career. It was a true turning point not just because of the surprising result, as mind-blowing and surreal as that was and still is to this day, but more-so because of the connection. That song carried my voice across the world and opened doors to a new place in my musical journey that I didn’t even know existed!
“A decade on, I don’t sing it the same way because I’m not the same person. I've sung this song thousands of times on countless stages all across the world. There's more life in me, and the song has taken on a deeper meaning with more gratitude and more perspective.
“This song will always be life-changing for me. And getting to reimagine it with artists I respect so deeply makes this anniversary feel like the beginning of a new chapter.”
‘Sound of Silence’ went on to chart in 43 countries, earning gold certification in Sweden. As part of the ten year anniversary celebration, Im will be returning to the Eurovision world this year with a performance at the Eurovision Festival Het Grote Songfestivalfeest in the Netherlands on 13 November. Tickets are on sale now.
We recently sat down with Im to chat with Im all about ‘Sound of Silence’, Eurovision and her upcoming jazz EP Stormy Weather..
Women In Pop’s Shalane Connors with Dami Im
Hi Dami! I don't really know where to start with you, because you've got so much going on! Let's start with ‘Sound of Silence’. You've just released a 10 year anniversary remake. How does it feel to revisit something from so long ago, which really kick started you on the global stage?
Honestly, it was so special to work on the glow up version of ‘Sound of Silence’ because the song means so much to me. It's the song that charted globally, so many Eurovision fans embraced it, Australia embraced it. It's helped me have the career that I've had for the last 10 years. And it's given me such confidence. It's given me a voice that I didn't have, so the song means so much to me on many layers. To do a glow up, it felt we were doing an update on where things are, because a lot has changed since then, so it's good to revisit and then just update.
Talk me through working with Electric Fields, you had some amazing guests on the track.
As I was approaching 10 years, I wanted to do something really special to celebrate, and thought what if we do a new version with Electric Fields? I've known them for a few years, I've seen them perform at Eurovision. I messaged Michael if he would be interested and he was super stoked, he and Zaachariaha were so excited. We just started bouncing ideas off each other and that's how it all happened.
Staying with Eurovision, Delta Goodrem is this year's performer for Australia. Have you had a chance to talk to her about your experience and offer any advice?
When I came second, I came so close to winning, and everyone was like ‘you were robbed’ and I always thought one day I'm gonna go back and and get that first prize, finish the job. But then I thought, if anyone can do it, it's Delta. She's got the experience. Her vocals are incredible, so I'm really, really excited that she gets to represent us and really do it for Australia - and for me!
I get the sense that you don't feel like you were robbed, because it was such an incredible journey that you went on in such a short space of time.
Yeah, you know {in 2016] there was 42 countries competing. 42 songs, and no one knows where you're going to finish. When the results were coming in, we were at the top of the leaderboard and it was like oh my gosh, we could potentially win this. We thought we were going to win.
The Australian team were freaking out, they were like, ‘we hadn't thought this through’. They were panicking, essentially. And then right at the end, when the public vote results came in, which make up the 50% of the total vote along with the jury vote, we dropped down to number two, and that only happened right at the end. So I was like, what? I just lost everything, it was a roller coaster. I felt disappointed, but only for a little while, but it took a while to process it. The way I see it now though is it was such an incredible experience. Those three minutes really changed my life in so many ways, so I'm more grateful than anything else. But I did think ‘okay, I better go back one day and finish the job’. That's literally what I was thinking!
So you wouldn't say no if it came up again?
I’d think about it. A lot's happening with my career now, and I've got two beautiful young kids so it's not just okay, I'll jump everything and go but…I’d think about it!
How do you find as a performer adjusting to that adrenaline roller coaster that you've been on so many times. You won The X-Factor, and then you almost did the same again at Eurovision. Do you find that hard to adjust to?
Yeah, it's a lot, you know. Doing something like a music competition is different to just performing and making music, writing and recording. It's so different, it's not normal. But those opportunities, those intense moments, as much as they're really hard and it's not always pleasant, it's got its fun aspects, and I loved it, but it's very stressful. They really have opened so many doors for me as an artist, and like any musician, any artist, getting opportunities is really difficult, it's very hard to make a career out of this. So in that way, it's necessary, but I don't always enjoy it.
It’s like positive trauma
Exactly! I'm like, Why do I have to put myself through this again? Why do I do it?
But then at the end of the day, you've got the art, and it speaks for itself.
Exactly. It introduces me to my audience, and then I can do what I love, which is just touring and releasing music, writing, all that stuff.
I want to talk about your upcoming EP, Stormy Weather. I’m absolutely loving the two tracks that you've released so far, they're very old timey jazz standards. Talk to me about this new direction, obviously you’ve released jazz before, but this seems a lot more intimate than your previous work.
I thought I just want to lean back into where it began for me, before The X-Factor and all the glitz and TV, where I was sitting at the piano learning jazz standards, playing with a trio, a double bass and a drum kit at jazz clubs. I just wanted to explore that again. It felt so right, to go back into that space, it just felt that's where I truly belong, even though that's not necessarily what I'm the most well known for. I'm going on tour with the EP from June onwards and doing the little jazz clubs around the country like where I started. It’s trying to reconnect with my roots and staying true to who I am, which isn't always easy because not everyone sees you that way.
Touching on staying true to yourself, do you feel like you have a bit more control these days over your image and what you're putting out into the world?
Oh yeah, definitely. And that's what Eurovision helped me find, the courage and the ability to choose my own lane and not have to answer to people. To work with the right people that support my vision and to be able to have autonomy. All those things came out of Eurovision, so I feel so much better in that way. I can call the shots.
Do you think that's changing throughout the industry for women in general?
I think so, because, labels and those gatekeepers aren't so much a thing anymore. As much as there's downsides to streaming and having to make content being a full time job, but you can't deny that it's allowed people to have their own voices, and women to be able to express themselves in the way they want to. It's created a lot more opportunities for people to be who they are, we see a lot more variety in the types of individuals that come through It's such an exciting time as well as all the negative things that go around.
Did you struggle with being thrust onto the global stage?
Yeah, I think so but it was a very volatile period. I was having trouble with my label and my management, and I was going through a lot of changes, like trying to get out of the [record] deal and all that stuff at the same time as Eurovision fans were discovering me globally. In 2024 we were able to be on the Eurovision tour with other Eurovision artists, and went to London and Warsaw and all that, but I couldn't really do that, and embrace that global audience until a lot later, because I feel like I didn't really have the support to be able to do that at the time.
You touched on earlier about the music you're releasing now is going more back to your roots. You moved to Australia aged nine from Korea, so you had to renavigate this whole new language and culture. Was singing a tool that you used to navigate that?
It definitely was. When I came here, I didn't speak any English, but I had been having piano lessons, and piano was just part of what I did. I had the chance to play piano at a school assembly, and the kids were like, ‘oh my gosh, she's actually good at something’, the teachers thought it was great and I just felt like this is what I'm going to do.
Music became my identity, part of my confidence. Later on, I started to record myself singing on my computer, and I discovered that I sucked at singing. I remember recording myself singing and listening back and going, holy crap, I suck! So then I became really obsessed with trying to get it to sound better. I was singing my favourite K pop songs at the time, and then I was practising Mariah Carey, Stacie Orrico, Corinne Bailey Rae, and then all the jazz standards came afterwards. That's how I developed my love for singing. I only took it more seriously after I finished my uni degree on piano. I'm like, I'm gonna sing now. So I started to sing in jazz circuits and restaurants and churches as well. So that's where it started.
How incredible to go from learning an entire new language, teaching yourself how to sing, and then ending up on the world's biggest global stage.
Yeah, it's crazy. When I was there, everyone was like, ‘oh Australia in Eurovision, haha, you're not part of Europe,’ and I was like yeah, but I'm from Korea as well! It's so weird, Korean, Australian to the European stage. It was just like, what is happening? It's a funny world.
Did you dream this big back in those days?
No, I never imagined anything like this could happen to me. I just wanted to have enough chances to gig in Brisbane and have some sort of a music career singing and writing songs and playing piano. That's why I went on The X-Factor, just so I could get some more opportunities, some more gigs, and then here we are! It worked out better than I ever imagined.
Tell me a little bit about juggling music with motherhood.
It's really interesting. When I had my first child, I felt really confronted, like my identity, I had such a crisis. I struggled in that way, because up until that point, I was putting my career first, I was always on the go. If I needed to do something, I'd just go straight into it. Work on a record, write stuff, film a video, I’d just do it instantly. That's just how I've been all my life. Then suddenly, with a child, I can't do anything when I want to. And then if I need to do something, I need someone's permission to. I need to ask my husband or my mum to help me. It was so hard, I was like I cannot live like this. After my second child, I feel like I'm a lot more at peace with it. I know that this is just a season. I've realised once my first child turned two, things change again. It's not forever.
So we've got the release coming up your Stormy Weather EP followed by the tour. What can we expect from the shows?
It'll be really intimate in those jazz clubs around the country, with me and Stephen Ward on guitar. It will be a lot of jazz, a lot of stories, and obviously the songs. I've got to sing the reimagined version of ‘Sound of Silence’, all of people's favourites from me, and some beautiful covers as well.
The reimagined version of ‘Sound of Silence’ is out now. You can download and stream here.
Stormy Weather will be released on 12 June. You can pre-order here now.
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