If you want to understand what a genuinely world-class pop voice sounds like, you start with Dami Im. From her explosive X Factor Australia win in 2013 to her history-making runner-up finish at Eurovision 2016, Im has spent over a decade building a catalog that swings from arena-sized power ballads to intimate, diary-page confessionals. I’ve spent a lot of late nights with this discography — car stereo, studio headphones, laptop speakers at 2am — and what keeps pulling me back is how consistently her voice cuts through the mix, no matter the production era. This list rounds up her most essential tracks, old and new, with the kind of song-by-song breakdown a fellow music obsessive would actually want to read.
Alive
“Alive” is where the Dami Im story really begins. Released on 28 October 2013 as her X Factor Australia winner’s single, it was written and produced by DNA Songs (Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci) and shot straight to number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. What strikes me most on repeat listens is the restraint in the verses — the production holds back just enough that when Im’s belt finally arrives in the chorus, it genuinely feels like a release rather than a formality. The song’s driving, mid-tempo pop structure was tailor-made for a debut single, giving her vocal runway to climb without ever tipping into over-singing. On a good pair of headphones, you can hear how tightly the vocal stacks are layered underneath her lead line, a small production choice that adds real weight to the hook.
Super Love
“Super Love” dropped on 16 May 2014 as the lead single from her third album, Heart Beats, and it’s one of the most purely joyful things she’s ever recorded. Written by Hayley Aitken, Johan Gustafson, Fredrik Häggstam and Sebastian Lundberg, and produced by the Swedish team Trinity alongside mastering engineer Tom Coyne, the track is a dance-pop and synthpop hybrid with subtle R&B phrasing tucked into the verses. Im has said the song is dedicated to her husband, Noah Kim, which gives an already sunny track an extra layer of sincerity when you know the backstory. It peaked at number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart and even cracked the South Korea Gaon International Download Chart, proof that its hooks translated across markets. In the car with the windows down, this is still one of her most replayable singles.
Gladiator
Released 8 August 2014 as the second single from Heart Beats, “Gladiator” is a mid-tempo pop ballad about fighting for someone’s love, and it’s aged into one of her signature songs. Written by Im herself alongside Johan Gustafson, Fredrik Häggstam and Sebastian Lundberg, and produced under their Trinity moniker, the track debuted at number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold in Australia. Critics at the time drew comparisons to Katy Perry, and I can hear why — there’s a similar blend of empowerment-anthem lyricism with big, clean pop production. What I love most is the vocal arrangement in the bridge, where Im lets a little grit into her tone before pulling back into the polished final chorus. It’s a masterclass in dynamic pacing within a three-and-a-half-minute pop song.
My Boy
Tucked further into Im’s catalog, “My Boy” is one of those tracks longtime fans point to when they want to show off a deeper cut. It leans into tender, melodic songwriting rather than big vocal fireworks, letting the lyric and the arrangement do the emotional heavy lifting instead of belted high notes. Listening on headphones, you notice how much space the mix leaves around her voice, which lets every small vocal inflection register clearly. It’s the kind of song that rewards a quiet, focused listen rather than background noise, and it shows a gentler, more intimate side of an artist mostly known for arena-scale power.
Smile
“Smile” was released on 26 May 2015, written in Solna, Sweden by Im alongside Hayley Aitken and Olof Lindskog, who also produced it under his Ollipop alias. Genre-wise it’s a bubblegum pop and doo-wop throwback, and Kathy McCabe of News.com.au accurately described it as having a retro ’60s girl-group sound that would resonate with fans of Meghan Trainor. The music video, which shows Im performing random acts of kindness around Sydney, matches the song’s message about loving and appreciating the people around you. Interestingly, “Smile” found a second life years later when it soundtracked a Pepsi commercial in China and Taiwan, pushing it back onto regional charts. It’s proof that a well-crafted pop song with a genuine emotional core doesn’t have an expiration date.
Sound of Silence
This is the song most casual listeners know Dami Im for, and for good reason. Released on 11 March 2016 and written by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci of DNA Songs, “Sound of Silence” became Australia’s entry at Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm, where it finished second with 511 points — still the highest Eurovision score any Australian entry has ever achieved. The arena-pop production is enormous by design, built to fill a stadium, with a chorus engineered for a room full of flag-waving fans to sing along with. Im has spoken about relating the song’s theme of disconnection to her own experience of being physically separated from loved ones, which gives an anthemic track real emotional grounding underneath the spectacle. Watching the Eurovision performance footage, it’s clear the song and the moment were made for each other; her live vocal that night arguably outdid the studio version.
Fighting for Love
Released 21 October 2016, “Fighting for Love” reunited Im with DNA Songs, this time with her as a co-writer alongside Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. She’s said the song was partly inspired by her own struggles to fit in after emigrating from South Korea to Australia at age nine, and that personal history gives the pop production real teeth. The track debuted modestly at number 64 on the ARIA Singles Chart, but it went on to win recognition the following year, and Im performed it live on The X Factor Australia in November 2016. On repeat listens, the pre-chorus is the standout moment — a slow-building tension that makes the chorus’s release feel earned rather than automatic.
Hold Me in Your Arms (with Jack Jones)
This one’s a fascinating detour into Australian pop history. “Hold Me in Your Arms” was originally a 1991 hit for the band Southern Sons, written by Phil Buckle and fronted by singer Jack Jones (Irwin Thomas). In January 2017, Im performed the song alongside Guy Sebastian at the Australia Day concert, and Sony Music’s Denis Handlin commissioned a full studio re-recording that reunited the original vocalist Jack Jones with Im; that version was released on 7 April 2017. Hearing two distinct vocal generations trade lines on the same track is a genuinely interesting listen — Jones brings the raspy, classic-rock warmth of the original, while Im’s cleaner, more technically precise delivery updates the song for a new decade without erasing what made it a hit in the first place.
Crying Underwater
Released independently on 13 September 2019, “Crying Underwater” marked a real turning point for Im as an artist stepping outside the major-label system. Co-written with Michael Tan and produced by Andy Mak, the song tackles the pressure to appear happy even while struggling internally — Im has explained the title metaphor as being like crying where no one can see you. She’s also revealed the song was inspired by someone she knew who seemed happy on the surface but ultimately took his own life, which adds real emotional weight to every lyric. The production is comparatively stripped back next to her Sony-era singles, letting the vocal performance carry the devastation of the lyric without excess ornamentation. It’s a difficult, important listen, and a clear signal of the more personal songwriting direction she’d pursue on her sixth album.
Kiss You Anyway
“Kiss You Anyway” followed on 3 January 2020 as the second single from what would become the My Reality album, written solely by Im and produced by Andy Mak. She’s described it as the song where she leaned hardest into vivid imagery in her lyric writing, and you can hear that density in how the verses unfold almost like short scenes. It debuted at number 12 on the Australian Independent Singles Chart, and a Korean-language version followed in November 2020, a nod to her South Korean roots and her international fanbase. Meanwhile, the melodic hook sits somewhere between contemporary pop and a slightly folk-inflected sensibility, giving it a warmth that separates it from her more electronic-leaning singles.
Marching On
Released 7 February 2020 and written entirely by Im herself with production from Andy Mak, “Marching On” was performed at Australia Decides 2020, the national selection show for that year’s (ultimately cancelled) Eurovision entry. Im has explained the song is about a daughter’s evolving perception of her mother — from seeing her as flawless and fearless to eventually recognizing her as a woman carrying the same fragilities as anyone else. That’s a genuinely moving lyrical idea, and the arrangement matches it, building from a restrained opening into a full, resilient chorus. On the on-camera Australia Decides performance, you can hear her lean into the more theatrical, live-arena version of her voice, which suits the song’s marching, resolute energy.
Paper Dragon
“Paper Dragon” arrived on 18 September 2020, co-written by Im and Elanor Witt and produced by Konstantin Kersting. It marked Im’s first release on the ABC Music label after years with Sony, and the track was originally intended as her entry for Australia Decides 2021. There’s a slightly more contemporary, synth-forward sonic palette here compared to her Sony-era singles, which makes sense given the shift in collaborators. The title metaphor — something delicate and easily torn, built to look strong — runs through the lyric with a kind of quiet vulnerability that I think gets overlooked in her broader catalog. It’s one of those tracks that reveals more nuance the more times you sit with it.
Lonely Cactus
Released 19 February 2021, “Lonely Cactus” is one of the most candid songs Im has ever put out. Co-written with Andrew Burford and Bri Clarke and produced by One Above, the song didn’t crack the ARIA Top 100 but debuted at number 5 on the Australian Independent Chart — a reminder that chart position and emotional impact don’t always correlate. Im wrote it in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, openly admitting there were days she felt profoundly lonely and needed connection she simply couldn’t access. The cactus metaphor — something resilient on the outside, isolated by its own defenses — is simple but effective, and the production wisely stays out of the way of that central image. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from the people you love, this one lands hard.
Pray
“Pray” is the title track and opener of Im’s sixth studio album, My Reality, released 8 October 2021 as the album’s final pre-release single. It sits at the front of a project Im has described as her most authentic work to date, a mark of resilience after several years of personal and professional transformation. Musically, it functions almost as a mission statement for the record — a slightly more restrained, mature vocal approach compared to her Sony-era belting, favoring emotional control over sheer power. Coming right before the shift to ABC Music and a more independent creative direction, “Pray” reads like an artist consciously resetting her own narrative, and you can hear that intentionality in every phrase.
Collide
Released as a standalone single on 24 March 2023, “Collide” shows Im continuing to write and release music independently through her own Dami Army imprint, exclusively licensed to the ABC. It arrived alongside the announcement of her In Between EP later that year, and it captures an artist comfortable experimenting outside the commercial pop formula that made her famous. The track’s title suggests two forces coming together, and true to that idea, the production blends warmer, more organic instrumentation with her usual polished vocal delivery. Streaming numbers on Collide may not touch her Eurovision-era peaks, but the creative confidence on display here is arguably higher than ever.
My Favourite Scar
“My Favourite Scar” is a more recent addition to Im’s catalog, continuing the reflective, self-examining songwriting thread she’s pursued since My Reality. The title alone tells you where the song is headed — reframing pain and past hurt as something worth keeping rather than hiding, a theme that fits naturally alongside tracks like “Crying Underwater” and “Lonely Cactus.” It’s a quieter, more lyric-forward listen, best experienced on headphones where you can catch every small vocal detail rather than in a car with road noise competing for attention. For listeners who’ve followed her evolution from X Factor belter to introspective songwriter, this track is a satisfying continuation of that arc.
Bubble
“Bubble” finds Im in more playful territory, at least sonically, even when the lyric underneath deals with something more layered — the idea of protecting yourself inside a fragile, self-contained space. It’s a good example of how she’s learned to disguise heavier emotional content inside brighter, more accessible pop packaging, a trick plenty of great pop songwriters lean on. The chorus melody is immediate in the way her early Sony singles were, but the lyric writing carries the more mature, personal fingerprint of her independent era. It’s a strong entry point for newer fans who want the hooks of “Super Love” with a bit more emotional depth underneath.
Dreamer
“Dreamer” shares its title with Im’s 2022 autobiography, and the song carries a similarly reflective, career-spanning weight — a look back at ambition, sacrifice, and the long road from a nine-year-old immigrant to an ARIA chart-topper and Eurovision runner-up. As a live recording, it captures a rawer, less studio-polished side of her voice, letting small imperfections and breath control become part of the performance rather than something smoothed out in post-production. Live performance energy suits this one particularly well; you can hear an audience response shaping the phrasing in real time. It’s less about a single hook and more about the accumulated weight of a career told through one song.
Anthem
“Anthem” leans into the bigger, more declarative side of Im’s vocal instrument, built around a title that promises exactly what it delivers — a rallying, big-chorus statement piece. Tracks like this showcase why she’s remained such a reliable live performer for over a decade: the melody is constructed to scale up in a stadium setting without losing clarity, a skill that traces directly back to her Eurovision experience performing “Sound of Silence” in front of tens of thousands of people. Where some of her more recent independent material goes inward, “Anthem” goes outward, built for shared, communal listening rather than headphone introspection.
Living Dangerously
Closing this list is “Living Dangerously,” released 9 October 2014 as the third and final single from Heart Beats. Written by Im with Liz Webber and Jon Hume, and produced by Hume, the track was actually the subject of some behind-the-scenes tension — Sony initially wanted it as the album’s second single, but Im pushed for “Gladiator” instead, and she won that argument. Critic Mike Wass of Idolator called it a “gorgeous pop anthem,” and I’d agree that it’s one of the more underrated tracks in her Sony-era catalog, an electronic-pop production that gives her voice plenty of room to soar above the beat without getting buried by it. Asif Mumtaz of All Noise specifically praised how her powerful vocals set the chorus on fire through emotional execution, and on a strong pair of speakers, that description still holds up. It’s a fitting closer for a catalog defined by an artist who consistently finds new ways to make her voice the most compelling instrument in the mix.
Ranking a catalog this deep is genuinely difficult, because Dami Im doesn’t really have “weak” eras — just different chapters, from the DNA Songs-powered X Factor and Eurovision years through to her current run of independently released, more personal material. If you’re new to her music, start with “Alive,” “Gladiator,” and “Sound of Silence” for the big pop moments, then work backward into “Crying Underwater,” “Lonely Cactus,” and “My Favourite Scar” for the more intimate side of her songwriting. However you approach it, you can browse more artist breakdowns like this one over in our songs category, and if you’re planning to give any of these tracks the critical listen they deserve, it’s worth checking our headphone comparison guide to hear exactly how detailed her vocal layering really gets. For anyone who does more listening on the move, our earbud comparison guide is a solid next stop before your next long drive through this discography.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dami Im’s most successful song?
“Alive” and “Sound of Silence” are generally considered her two biggest commercial and cultural moments. “Alive” debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart as her X Factor winner’s single, while “Sound of Silence” achieved the highest Eurovision Song Contest score any Australian entry has ever received, finishing second overall in 2016.
Did Dami Im write her own songs?
Increasingly, yes. Her early Sony-era hits like “Alive” and “Sound of Silence” were written by outside songwriters, primarily DNA Songs. But starting with “Gladiator” and accelerating through the My Reality era, Im became a credited co-writer or sole writer on most of her singles, including “Marching On,” “Kiss You Anyway,” and “Lonely Cactus.”
What happened with Dami Im at Eurovision?
Im represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden, with “Sound of Silence,” written by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. She won her semi-final outright and finished second in the Grand Final with 511 points, the highest score ever recorded by an Australian entry.
Is Dami Im still releasing music?
Yes. After leaving Sony Music in 2020 to sign with ABC Music, Im has continued releasing independently through her own Dami Army imprint, with recent output including “Collide,” her In Between EP, and more personal, reflective singles that build on the songwriting direction established with her My Reality album.
What genre is Dami Im’s music?
Her catalog spans dance-pop, synthpop, arena pop, and more recently a softer, singer-songwriter-leaning sound. Early hits like “Super Love” and “Gladiator” lean into polished Scandinavian-style pop production, while newer material like “Crying Underwater” and “Lonely Cactus” favors a more stripped-back, emotionally direct approach.