Dami Im My Life In Songs.
World Premiere. Adelaide exclusive. Adelaide Cabaret Festival Dunstan Playhouse. Adelaide Festival Centre.
June 13-14. 2019
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
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| Dami Im My Life in Songs |
My heart beats to the sound of Dami Im. Her voice soars through the air, a titanic force of
song from the soft jazz of Summertime
to the Country and Western twang of
Jolene and the triumphant crescendo of her Eurovision performance of Sound of Silence. What an extraordinary
talent! What a compassionate and genuine human being! From her entrancing
opening rendition of Hero supported by her backing band under the
musical direction of Michael (no surname offered) Dami Im had the audience soaring on the windS
of her voice.
In a World Premiere and an Adelaide Exclusive, Artistic
Director of the Adelaide cabaret Festival Julia Zemiro invited Dami Im to put
together a show comprising hit songs of her repertoire with some surprises,
intertwined with the story of her life from a Korean born five year old to the
winner of X Factor and the second place
getter in the 2013 Eurovision Contest.
What ensues is a fascinating account
of her life as a Korean born immigrant to Brisbane, her confusing early non
English speaking schooldays and her difficult search for her buddy Karen in the
schoolyard (After all, they all looked the same!) She talks about her opera
singer mother’s desire for her to become a classical pianist after she
commences lessons at the age of five and her decision to become a singer and her
eventual enrolment in a Master of Jazz Studies course to learn about the voice.
Destiny’s decisions guide her to a shining career as a pop singer, in demand by
a Japanese producer who regards her as a combination of Lady Gaga and Bjork.
Fame follows, cloaked in the artificial contrivances of image and marketing.
Through it all, and through Dami Im – My Life
in Songs we are enchanted by her astonishing piano playing, her vast and
compelling vocal range and dynamic control and a gentle humanity that
encompasses compassion and kindness. It is with her original songs that Im
really comes into her own and the real person emerges from the bright light of
fame.
Little Johnny is inspired by
a young Solomon Islander who expressed joy and happiness in a world of poverty
that eventually forced his father to leave the island in search of a better
life. It has inspired Im and husband Noah to establish a Music Academy for poor
children and open the pathway to an enriched life.
For Dami Im, Korean immigrant
child, classical pianist, pop icon and humanitarian, in the lyrics of Prince’s
signature song, Purple Rain, her
successes have led her to reach out for something new, and the audience leaps to
their feet in a resounding ovation to her thrilling rendition of Purple Rain. Her Dami Army has swelled with
the sheer joy of sharing an hour of her life in songs.