Interview: Dami Im on her ‘Eurovision ISO Party!’, new album and more

This Saturday night put on your Eurovision costumes, cover yourself in glitter and get ready to boogie as Dami Im will be hosting her very first Live Stream concert ‘Eurovision ISO Party!’.

The vocal powerhouse wowed Europe at the ‘Eurovision Song Contest 2016’ in Stockholm with her breathtaking performance of ‘Sound of Silence’ which won the Jury vote and finished in second place overall giving Australia its highest result in Eurovision yet.

Dami would go on to perform in ‘Eurovision: Australia Decides 2019’ and yet again this year in ‘Eurovision: Australia Decides 2020’, where she delighted us with her new solo single ‘Marching On’ and a special duet ‘Walk With Me’ with Sweden’s Eurovision 2015 winner Måns Zelmerlöw.

If that wasn’t big enough already, Dami Im also surprised us all with her huge announcement that she was throwing her hat in the ring for ‘Eurovision: Australia Decides 2021’ which elicited a massive reception from the crowd.

Since ‘Eurovision: Australia Decides 2020’ in February things have changed. Eurovision 2020 has been cancelled due to Covid-19 and Montaigne has been officially confirmed to represent Australia at Eurovision 2021.

We spoke to Dami Im about her up coming ‘Eurovision ISO Party!’, her new projects and the future of Eurovision for her.

Thank you for doing an amazing job entertaining us fans with your Sunday Sessions, why have you decided to branch out and do this Eurovision ISO special?

I've been wanting to do a Live Stream concert for my fans during quarantine time and I thought a Eurovision themed concert could be interesting. I think everyone needs a bit of Eurovision sparkly fun during this time.

What can people tuning in on Saturday night expect from the show?

I'll be singing some of my favourite songs from Eurovision as well as some of my own music. I'm going to try and make it special and put in the effort to decorate the room a little bit as well like a real show.

How have you personally found the whole isolation experience, and what does it mean to you to be performing to your fans at this time?

I'm aware how lucky I am to be isolating in a safe home with family that I love but I do miss being able to go hang out with friends and performing at shows. I think being able to do a show digitally at least helps me and the fans to connect which I am really looking forward to doing.

Will we see you release the Sunday Sessions in an EP or album or do you have any future projects you may be able to share with us?

I'm not planning to release the Sunday Sessions on anything other than my YouTube channel at the moment, but I'm appreciative that some people are enjoying them and finding comfort through it. I am working on a new album and trying to get as much done during quarantine.

Last weekend the #EurovisionAgain watch party took place where all of Europe and some early risers in Australia rewatched the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. Thousands of online fans voted you as their winner, with a lot of messages online with ‘Justice for Dami’. How does it feel to get such a big reception from the online Eurofandom?

My experience in 2016 and the buzz I felt during my performance at Eurovision never gets old for me, so it's great that people are still enjoying it. I want to thank everybody who loved and still loves my performance. 

At Australia Decides you announced you would throw your hat in the ring for Eurovision again next year, now Montaigne will be representing Australia in 2021, is there still a chance we will see you trying for the Eurovision ticket in 2022?

I was really excited to be going for it again in 2021 but with all the changes now, I'm not sure what I will do about 2022. I'm still happy for Montaigne that she gets go next year.

Other than Australia’s entry, did you have any favourite Eurovision songs from this year?

Iceland's entry is a real standout for me. The video is amazing especially. 

Congratulations on your success with Dancing on the Stars, what was that experience like and will we see any dance moves for the party on Saturday?

I think I learnt to dance a little better on the show, but my body's forgotten all of it while sitting around in Iso...

And any other clues for the party?

Can't reveal too much more, you'll have to tune in!

Thank you so much for your time Dami and for what you give back to the Eurovision fans in Australia and around the world!

You can catch Dami Im’s ‘Eurovision Iso Party!’ through Facebook Live here on Saturday May 9 at 7:30pm AEST, 11:30am CEST, 10:30am BST.