Australia 2016: Dami Im to Stockholm

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – During the live event SBS revealed Dami Im as the 2016 Eurovision representative of Australia for Stockholm. The song will be revealed on March 11th.

Dami says: “I am so thrilled and honoured to be representing Australia at Eurovision this year in Stockholm. I am really excited to be following in the footsteps of Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy who have both graced the Eurovision stage before me. I truly believe that the Australian public and Eurovision fans around the world are going to love the song I will be performing in Sweden. I cannot wait to showcase it to the world and represent Australia to the best of my ability!”

Duo act, hosts Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang will be poised and ready from the commentary booth in the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden to guide Australians through the meatballs, music and madness that is Eurovision.

SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid said: “Australia has embraced the Eurovision spirit for over 30 years on SBS, but we’re a competitive nation, and last year with our very own contestant to cheer for and a chance of winning, Australia was completely captivated by the contest on the other side of the world. Reaching over 4 million Australians, it was our biggest Eurovision audience ever. We’re thrilled to be welcomed back to the Eurovision family this year, and Dami is the perfect artist to take that next step for Australia on the world’s biggest stage. The essence of the Eurovision Song Contest is about bringing countries together for a celebration of their diversity and culture through music, and it’s that element which resonates so strongly with SBS’s own purpose.”

Australian Head of Delegation, Director of Blink TV, SBS’s Eurovision production partner, Paul Clarke said: “We are delighted to be invited to Sweden, and we feel we couldn’t have a stronger competitor. Dami has huge musical talent, and her story is like a modern Australian fairy-tale. I expect Eurovision 2016 to be a thrilling, page-turning chapter for her, and for Eurovision fans. Dami’s voice is so powerful and she has a distinctive style that I expect will capture the attention of Europe. I encourage our Eurovision fans across the nation and Europe to really get behind her, and to become the Dami army!”

ARTIST INFORMATION

Dami Im is a Korean-Australian singer and songwriter. Born in South Korea, Im emigrated to Australia with her family at the age of nine. She began her music career as a gospel singer in Korea and independently released her debut studio album, Dream, in 2010. Three years later, Im won the fifth season of The X Factor Australia and subsequently received a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. After winning The X Factor, Im released her debut and winner's single "Alive", which debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. This was followed by the release of her self-titled second studio album, which debuted at number one the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. Im became the first X Factor Australia contestant to follow up a number one single with a number one album on the ARIA Charts. Im's third studio album, Heart Beats, was released in 2014 and became her second top-ten album. It produced the top-twenty hits "Super Love" and "Gladiator".