Nov. 28, 2022

Standing up for your beliefs with Dami Im

Standing up for your beliefs with Dami Im
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Standing up for your beliefs with Dami Im

In this episode, Cass is joined by Dami Im, who captured all of our hearts when she won The X-Factor Australia in 2013. Dami began her singing career playing to grandmas in Korean churches before her life was forever changed when she entered a singing competition on television with no expectation of winning. Since then, she's released a string of hit albums and singles, and she became Eurovision royalty on 2016, when she earned the highest score ever achieved by an Australian entry with her smash hit 'Sound of Silence.' Behind the scenes, Dami's creative was being stifled by the very people that were supposed to be helping her. Her story is one of sacrifice, determination and faith.Connect with Dami:https://www.damiim.com/
Connect with Cass:www.crappytohappypod.comhello@crappytohappypod.com 
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Join the free 7-day Happiness Challenge:www.cassdunn.com/happiness

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Email: hello@crappytohappypod.com
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Transcript
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A listener production. This is Crappita Happy and I am

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your host, Cas Doun. I'm a clinical and coaching psychologist

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and mindfulness meditation teacher and of course author of the

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Crappita Happy books. In this show, I bring you conversations

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with interesting, inspiring, intelligent people who are experts in their

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field and who have something of value to share that

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will help you feel less crappy and more happy. Dami

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im captured all of our hearts when she won the

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X Factor Australia in twenty thirteen. This shy Korean born

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Australian first trained as a pianist and began her singing

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career playing to grandma's in Korean churches before her life

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was forever changed when she entered a singing competition on

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the TV with no expectation of winning. Since then, Darmi

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has released a string of hit albums and singles, and

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she became Eurovision Royalty in twenty sixteen when she earned

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the highest score ever achieved by an Australian entry with

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her smash hit Sound of Silence. Behind the scenes, though,

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Dami's creativity and her career were being stifled by the

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very people who were supposed to be helping her. Being

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young and naive to how the music industry worked, Darmi

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now realizes that she was being lied to, manipulated, and exploited.

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Dami's story of fighting back to take control of her

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career and to make the music she always wanted to

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make is one of sacrifice, determination and faith. Here is

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Dami to share her story. Darmi, im welcome to the

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Crappy a Happy Podcast.

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Thank you so, Darmi.

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I watched your season of The X Factor. I can't

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say that I was a committed member of the Dami army,

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but I certainly loved watching you perform. And then there

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was this sort of period where we didn't see hear

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much of you after the X Factor. So it was

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fascinating to me to read your account of what happened

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in those years following your appearance on The X Factor. So,

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because obviously you won, the winner of The X Factor

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two thousand and thirteen is dummy. You were sensational, thank you,

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which is everybody's dream to bland the recording contract, but

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it obviously didn't really go as well as you had planned.

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Can you share like what that was like? I guess

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being a part of the X Factor, but then also

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in the immediate aftermath of winning the show.

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Yeah, so I went into the show very young and naive.

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I've been a musician my whole life. I was pursued

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a career in singing. I was getting nowhere, and X

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Factor was kind of my last resort to try and

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get some exposure as a musician. As a singer, and

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being on that show just I learned so much, you know,

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about staging, costumes and everything.

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It was a wild experience.

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Being on television was a whole new game speaking to

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media and yeah, it was a lot of things to learn.

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And also for me coming from this very like sheltered

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community Korean Christian culture was like my that was my

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world where I sort of hid inside because that was

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my little place where I knew and understood. But outside

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of that, I was I didn't have that many, you know, contacts,

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and you know, I didn't have a proper job as such,

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like when you're a musician, come on like you don't. Yeah,

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you're like a freelancer. But yeah, I was getting nowhere.

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That's why I went on the show.

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But you'd never heard of the show, right either, So

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I found fascinating.

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I think, I mean, I must have, because remember that's

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also like mainstream tell Vision, which I wasn't that into,

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Like I was in my little Korean bubble, even though

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I grew up in Australia. So yeah, I had to

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google like the voice, you know, I'm going to do

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the voice, and then that was closed. So then X

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Factor was like, oh, what's that. Oh that's a singing

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show as well. All right, let's go for that. And

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so that's how I got into that show. By the

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time I won, it.

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Was completely unexpected.

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I hadn't planned to win and to get a recording contract,

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so that was a wild rollercoaster ride.

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And then you won, which you hadn't prepared for. In

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your book, you said you partly weren't even sure that

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you wanted to win, right because you weren't really sure,

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you were so introverted and shy.

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Yeah, so I remember, you know, it started from the

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live shows, the top twelve, and then each week one

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person got eliminated, so we were up to three people

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and that was a final, and I knew I had

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a good chance of winning by that point, and I

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was going, this is terrifying, What does this even mean?

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For me, like will my life change completely? And you know,

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like I had a pretty good life. You know, I

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was nearly married, I liked my family in Brisbane. I

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had you know, a small group of friends at church

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that were lovely, like nothing wrong with that.

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So I was like, will this just change everything?

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And I was just so terrified of the unknown, and

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because I was extremely religious.

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I still am, but back.

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Then it was more like, oh my gosh, Like I

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was really young as well, So I'm going, is this

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even God's plan? Like will this make other people happy?

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Or will I upset people by winning?

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Wow? And will people.

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Become more you know, jealous if I win, then other

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people don't win and people compare themselves to me. So

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I was just like overthinking and it was very confusing.

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Yes, I was like it, but you did win. And

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then the very next day, everybody goes on parties at

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the end of the finale, and then you have to

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get up and front live TV and you did eighty

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eight zero interviews the next day.

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Yeah, seriously talking about the same thing eighty times.

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But more to the point, then you were on this

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kind of juggernaut. So basically, can you share like what

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happens after that for the winner, because you go straight

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into it, they're obviously banking on the success of the show.

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So you're recording, you're you know, traveling performing. What was

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that like?

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Yeah, So basically the winner gets a recording contract with

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Sony and also a management contract. It's like an arranged marriage.

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You don't really get a choice. It's like, that's what happens.

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The management was owned by Sony, which is a big

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conflict of interest.

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But back then I had no idea how it all worked.

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So that happens, and then I really had no idea

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what was going to happen, Like what do I do?

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Now I'm a pop star, but like what does that

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even mean?

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So then I have to record this album to release

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in two weeks, which is super super quick. Now when

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I make albums, it's months and months and months.

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You know.

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We had this big X Factor tour where the top

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six of us did a whole tour of Australia in arenas,

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which yeah, because my year was so popular, a lot

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of people watched it. So we were performing, traveling, and

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then I had to do in stores to sell this album,

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so you know, signing it shopping centers and also attend

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Sony events, Aria Awards, and then all these other you know,

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corporates and different events happening at the same time, and

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magazine shoots. Yeah, all of these things just fanbom member

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and I'm just flying from one state to the next,

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going when does this end?

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When do I get to go home? And yeah, I

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was so unhappy.

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Yeah, So the question like, will this changed my whole life?

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The answer was absolutely yes, it absolutely did.

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Yeah, it did. It did.

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It did, and not in a good way necessarily.

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Yeah.

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At that time, I was just so lost. And my

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personality is I take time to get used to things.

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I need time, Like I don't like spontaneous events happening

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to me, Like it took me twelve years to get

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used to my school, and then in year twelve I

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started to enjoy it, you know, because.

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I was used to it. But then yeah, I know,

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but then this is just like bam, You're into it,

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and I'm like, oh, I'm scared, and I've got to

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meet all these people, and yeah it was. Yeah, it

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was a lot.

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And what you described in the book, you got no notice.

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And I think the important thing to note is that

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they were supposed to give you notice. About what you

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were doing and where you're expected to be, and they

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were telling you on the day.

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Yeah, I really wanted to know, like what I'm doing

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tomorrow when I'm going to go home, Like you know,

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if you can plan what you're going to do, even

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if you have a crazy schedule, you can sort of cope, right.

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But yeah, they.

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Didn't tell me.

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And I don't necessarily think they were doing that on purpose.

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They would just be as well, and they.

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Didn't have the resources or the attention to like care

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for this new person they were managing like so many artists,

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which now I realize is very ineffective, Like no one

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does that well, and so they just wanted heaps of

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people on their book and you never really get the

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attention that you need.

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And I had to ask.

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Like, hey, I was just wondering, like can I find

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out like what I'm doing in advance? And they're like,

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oh yeah, yeah, yeah, like we can probably send you

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a calendar.

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I'm like, oh, why didn't you do that, you know,

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first week?

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Yeah, not like after like a month of just going, ah,

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what am I doing?

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Yeah, I'm just thinking about what that must have been, Like,

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I mean, like you said you were newly married, your

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husband's at home, your parents. That must have taken a

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real toll, like on you emotionally, physically, everything.

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Yeah.

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Luckily though, my husband, he was able to take time

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off work for a really long time and he traveled

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with me to a lot of events, which was really helpful.

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But then that was good, and also I became super

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reliant on him as well.

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Like I don't know, it just became a.

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Little bit strange because then he was becoming famous as well,

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and wasn't necessarily a good thing that people were.

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Like, oh the couple. Like after a while, I'm like.

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I need to forge my career rather than kind of

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asking him for permission, and like I just relied on

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his opinion about everything because I was just so scared

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and young. I guess I had to grow up at

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the same time as all this was happening. Because I

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was in my twenties, I was so naive and I

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just had to figure things out.

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Yeah, I can imagine, And it must have just been

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hard to know. Really, I can imagine you doing that

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because you wouldn't have known who had your best interests

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at heart. Because it doesn't sound like your management company

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necessarily or the label had your best interest at heart,

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as it turned out.

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Yeah, and I didn't realize that till much later, because

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at the time I was just like, go with the floor,

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I guess.

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Not rock the boat. That came through very strongly actually

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that you were very much not wanting to be demanding,

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being very grateful for the opportunity and very humble, very

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hard working. But people were taking advantage right exactly.

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And because I had so much success when I was

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performing before this, like nobody cared and I was being

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paid very little money, whereas now you know, I was

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getting much better money, like compared to what I was

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making before, was huge in comparison.

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So then I'm like, oh, I shouldn't complain. I'll just

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do as I'm told because this money is good.

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And if I perform for a corporate like, I'll ask

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everything they'd tell me.

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To do, because yeah, like it's good money. But now

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I'm like, I didn't have to do that.

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And that would have been the management's job to let

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me know, Hey, you shouldn't do that, like you shouldn't

233
00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:13.519
have to appear on a horse and sing in a

234
00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:14.759
giant gown, and.

235
00:13:14.919 --> 00:13:18.440
Like I just did things because they asked me. And

236
00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:20.360
I'm like, ah, better say yes to everything.

237
00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.600
You know, obviously, your whole point of going on the

238
00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:25.879
show was because you wanted to forge a career as

239
00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:28.799
a singer. And then what happened over time was that

240
00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:32.519
you weren't given the opportunity to be creative, to perform

241
00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:34.879
for your fans. You're doing corporate gigs because they make

242
00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.519
the most money for your management, being asked to record

243
00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:43.159
cover albums rather than original music. I know that, you say.

244
00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:45.360
In hindsight, I realized I didn't have to do all

245
00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:48.799
of that, But at the time, how did that feel?

246
00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:49.159
Like?

247
00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:51.039
How was that demoralizing? Oh?

248
00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:52.840
Absolutely, at the time.

249
00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:59.200
I was just so upset, like just heartbroken every time

250
00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:03.039
something like that would happen. For example, you know, I

251
00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:05.240
do talk about it in the book, but we did

252
00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:08.919
this photo shoot, you know, with like one of the best.

253
00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:09.879
Photographers in Australia.

254
00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:12.799
We did this cover shoot for Gladiator, my next single,

255
00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:15.720
and the whole team was so excited. We put in

256
00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:20.480
all this effort and then I just get told days later, oh,

257
00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.200
this isn't right for you, so we need another photo.

258
00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:25.120
It just didn't make any sense.

259
00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:28.360
Then they would just pick my previous single cover and

260
00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:31.159
just change the color and call it the new single cover.

261
00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:34.559
And it was to punish me. You know. It wasn't

262
00:14:34.679 --> 00:14:37.279
oh this actually you know doesn't look good on you.

263
00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:39.440
It just it was just a way of.

264
00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:43.000
Punishing me because I didn't listen to everything that they

265
00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:45.919
were telling me to do. I didn't even know that

266
00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:48.759
I was offending them. I wasn't trying to, but just

267
00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:52.440
because I didn't say yes to the single that they

268
00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:54.279
wanted to wanted me to do.

269
00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:55.879
Yeah, and they.

270
00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:59.559
Would cancel my music videos after they were made, and

271
00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:02.879
then my album kind of didn't do you know. Well,

272
00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:04.759
it went up on the charts, and then it just

273
00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:08.159
went down right straight away because there was no promotion

274
00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:11.200
around it, no tour. So then I was in this

275
00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:14.039
position like, oh, you know, I've got to do as

276
00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:16.320
I'm told because where do I go from here?

277
00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:18.159
So then I do it otherwise they punish you.

278
00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:21.080
Yeah, exactly. So I'm like, Okay, I'll be a good girl.

279
00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:23.320
I'll do what they want me to do. So then

280
00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:26.120
I do an album of covers and I do it

281
00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:28.440
with all my heart because I'm like, I'm not going

282
00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:30.679
to do a half fast job on this, so do

283
00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:31.159
my best.

284
00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:33.759
Then they go oh, you've got to redo that. It's

285
00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:34.320
not right.

286
00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:41.360
It was extremely frustrating and yeah, demoralizing. I remember just

287
00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:45.320
thinking to myself, I hope one day I can talk

288
00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:48.320
about this, and I hope one day I am in

289
00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:52.039
a position of power where I don't have to put

290
00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:52.840
up with this crap.

291
00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:55.360
I think that was in my head the most going.

292
00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:58.919
I can't do anything now, because then I'll just disappear

293
00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:00.440
and no one will ever hear for me.

294
00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:04.519
I'll never get to tell my fans what happened. It's

295
00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:05.399
very tough.

296
00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:08.159
Just on that subject of the music video. Like, there

297
00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:13.039
was so many like little insights into the industry things

298
00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:15.559
that I didn't know, Like you explain in the book

299
00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:18.840
about like this whole recoupable account thing where you actually

300
00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:21.320
the money that they spend or that you spend on

301
00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:24.799
creating a video has to be recouped from record sales

302
00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:27.399
or something. Right, you go to all of this trouble

303
00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:31.000
to make this amazing video and then Sony just says, Nah,

304
00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:33.200
don't like it. There was one video that you haven't

305
00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:36.159
even seen to this day, yep, because they just trashed

306
00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:38.200
it and still made you pay for it exactly.

307
00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:41.120
Yeah, there were two videos like that so the one

308
00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:45.799
they trashed, so we shot another one overnight. No sleep,

309
00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.000
just get it done. I didn't get to see that either.

310
00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:53.200
And it's to protect my brand, they said, and I

311
00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:55.440
just it was just frustrating.

312
00:16:56.440 --> 00:16:59.240
To say the least. To say the least, tell me,

313
00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:02.279
the relation that you formed with Danny on the show

314
00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:05.640
was much publicized, like you, it would appear, you know,

315
00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:07.640
there'd be magazine articles where you were hanging out with

316
00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:10.160
Danny like outside the show and stuff like that. And

317
00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:12.799
I know that you said that she intervened early on

318
00:17:13.240 --> 00:17:15.880
to get you a new music video made. I'm curious

319
00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:18.039
to know kind of how supportive was she throughout the

320
00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:21.480
subsequent years, Like did you maintain that relationship? You know,

321
00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:24.720
how important was she as a mentor, as a role model,

322
00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:25.799
like after the show?

323
00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:29.240
Yeah, so she did jump in for in that very

324
00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:33.880
first moment after I got signed, when Sony made this

325
00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:38.480
video for my very first single and it was really bad.

326
00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:41.279
So Danny came in and said, you can't do that.

327
00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:44.720
You know, she deserves better and the fans deserve better

328
00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:47.039
after you know, following the journey from the X Factor,

329
00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:50.839
and she jumped in. She directed a whole video without

330
00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:55.200
asking for any money, and that was incredible, Like I

331
00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:59.440
always remember that with like such awe, because who does that.

332
00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:03.359
You know, even afterwards we would catch up, you know,

333
00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:05.200
if I'm in Melbourne, I would go to a place

334
00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:08.160
and hang out with a family. Just stayed in touch

335
00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:10.440
and you know, I speak to her from time to night.

336
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:13.519
She called me the other day to congratulate me on

337
00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:16.000
the book, and you know, it's just really nice to

338
00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:21.039
have somebody who's real and genuine. And I know that

339
00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:25.599
most mentors from these shows don't do that, you know,

340
00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:29.319
like they don't have to. They go through so many

341
00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:32.799
artists they have to mentor, and they don't get paid

342
00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:36.559
to stay in tart and do all that. So I'm

343
00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.799
incredibly lucky that I found somebody who's just so so beautiful.

344
00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:44.839
And I mean she's got so much experience in this

345
00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:47.200
industry as well, so just being able to talk to

346
00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:47.799
her and like.

347
00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:50.640
Ask her opinion on things is great.

348
00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:53.559
But when I was in the thick of all that frustration,

349
00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:55.480
I didn't even know what to ask.

350
00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:58.279
I was just like, okay, you know, it was yeah,

351
00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:00.400
But I think, yeah.

352
00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:02.880
In hindsight, I should have called Daddy and be like,

353
00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:06.759
if I do this is, Yeah, this makes no sense.

354
00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:11.200
That would have been good in nine side. Yeah, but

355
00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:14.000
you're right, like, when you're in it, it is it's

356
00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:16.799
really hard. It's hard to know when you don't have that.

357
00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:20.240
You don't know what. You don't know in those situations exactly.

358
00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:23.680
And I also didn't know whether, you know, it was

359
00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:26.519
a good thing if she goes and says, oh, I'll

360
00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:29.440
talk to whoever, and I'm like, then I might get

361
00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:32.359
in trouble or you know, it was just just scary.

362
00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:37.119
I came across this woman on TikTok a little while ago,

363
00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:39.559
who was posting, you know, obviously TikTok is he's like

364
00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:42.640
three minute videos, and I'd never seen this woman. She

365
00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.079
just came up on my four you page and it

366
00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:46.519
turned out she was an X Factor in the British

367
00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:50.599
X Factor. She was maybe twenty thirteen and I think

368
00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:52.359
she came second. I thought she was the winner, but

369
00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:54.359
it turned out she came second, and so she got

370
00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:57.640
signed and I was just glued to her story in

371
00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:00.519
these little three minute videos and she basically just described

372
00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:04.039
her experience. I swear it was almost identical to yours.

373
00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:07.480
She talked about being so sick and the label forcing

374
00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:11.119
her to perform and asking for time off and them

375
00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:13.519
just being not interested at her not being able to

376
00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:15.240
do the shows that she wanted to do, not being

377
00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:16.759
able to make the music that she wanted to do.

378
00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.440
She's now out of that contract as well, and I

379
00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:21.400
think that she's working on a book, but she's really

380
00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:23.160
careful about what she says because she's got all these

381
00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:27.039
non disclosure things. You know, as you do, is this rife?

382
00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:29.519
Like is this quite wide? But the way you were treated,

383
00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:33.559
would you say that this is fairly widespread, particularly on

384
00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:37.519
the back of these reality TV shows as well as

385
00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:40.039
I guess the music industry in general, but particularly in

386
00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:40.960
those Yeah, I.

387
00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.119
Mean we were all treated like that. You know, there

388
00:20:43.160 --> 00:20:45.039
were a lot of us, and we were all treated

389
00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:45.319
like that.

390
00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:48.079
But I feel lucky because I came out through the

391
00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:50.119
other side and I'm talking to you. You know, I'm

392
00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:50.720
doing this.

393
00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:53.119
You know, I'm in a good place where I still

394
00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:56.519
make music and I have the DIMI army supporting me still.

395
00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:59.279
But like a lot of artists didn't make it.

396
00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:02.400
They they gave up, and you know, I came so

397
00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:03.799
close to giving up as well.

398
00:21:04.599 --> 00:21:07.519
At one point I was like, I would rather.

399
00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:13.640
Go back to singing at rural churches for five grandmas

400
00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:18.240
than have this major record label contract where I have

401
00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:20.759
to sing another covers album. That was the point where

402
00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:23.279
I was like, I don't care if I never record again.

403
00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:27.119
I can't do this anymore. It's too humiliating and I

404
00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:31.759
just wanted to have autonomy like a person, like a

405
00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:35.440
real adult. You know. It wasn't worth it, no matter

406
00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:37.720
how much money they were going to throw at me

407
00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:40.960
for doing something that I wasn't willing to do.

408
00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:43.279
I was like, I don't need that anymore. I'm just

409
00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:43.680
going to go.

410
00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:46.599
And a lot of artists have chosen that path and

411
00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:48.319
so they just do their own thing.

412
00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:48.839
They're gone.

413
00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:56.319
So yeah, I hope that you're enjoying this conversation and

414
00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:00.119
realizing the benefits of positivity in your own life. If

415
00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:02.359
you are enjoying the show, please be sure to like

416
00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:04.880
and subscribe so that you get notified when you apps

417
00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:07.559
drop and head on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever

418
00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:18.720
you listen and leave us a rating and review and dummy.

419
00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:20.880
So the turning point for you, would it be fair

420
00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:25.480
to say so? Then Eurovision came along? Was that the

421
00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:26.240
turning point for you?

422
00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:31.000
It was definitely a pivotal moment for me, not just

423
00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:33.799
because it was a great platform, but that's where everything

424
00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:37.519
started to click and it was a turning point. And

425
00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:41.839
what happened such a huge platform, you know, and even

426
00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:47.079
the most seasoned artists, they are like shitting their pants,

427
00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:52.759
like that's that's the expression everyone used, Like it's not

428
00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:54.720
like any other performance.

429
00:22:54.880 --> 00:23:00.559
It's so nerve wrecking and very stressful. After going through.

430
00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:03.680
That, like and during it, that's when I realized Sony

431
00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:07.880
and my management, maybe they don't have the same.

432
00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:10.759
Interests or the best interest for me. They have their

433
00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:11.519
own agenda.

434
00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:15.240
So like in the book that the Sony called and said,

435
00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:18.759
sing the song like the original, don't change it, just

436
00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:20.240
sing it as the recording.

437
00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:23.119
And I was like, oh okay.

438
00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:29.039
And Paul Clark, who was the head of Eurovision for Australia,

439
00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:31.920
he heard what was happening and he said, you know,

440
00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:36.000
you don't have to do everything they tell you to do.

441
00:23:36.519 --> 00:23:40.400
I was like really, And that hadn't even crossed my mind.

442
00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:42.720
I thought I didn't have a choice, but I was like,

443
00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:45.640
oh okay, And that was the.

444
00:23:45.559 --> 00:23:49.119
First time I went maybe they don't care about me.

445
00:23:50.680 --> 00:23:55.559
Wow, maybe I need to look out for myself. My

446
00:23:55.640 --> 00:24:00.160
management team wasn't even there, so I had a Sony

447
00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:04.160
with me. And after it was all over and I

448
00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:08.000
came second, I almost won, which was a huge achievement

449
00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:11.359
for me, and I was incredibly proud, and I started

450
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:16.599
to question everything. I went, why am I with my manager?

451
00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:19.880
What does he actually do for me? I started to

452
00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:24.680
question everything, and there was this huge shift in my career.

453
00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:28.480
I started to change up the people that I work with,

454
00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:31.400
and then there was a lot of friction because of that,

455
00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:34.759
you know, because I wanted to now leave Sony, and

456
00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:40.160
you know, it became really tense before I could be

457
00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:40.920
set free.

458
00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:43.519
How was that for you? You describe yourself as being

459
00:24:43.640 --> 00:24:46.359
very shy and introverted. You've spent all of these years

460
00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:48.640
telling the line, doing what they say, not making trouble,

461
00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:51.440
and then you really had to fight, and you know,

462
00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:55.559
these are senior people, men in suits, and you had

463
00:24:55.559 --> 00:24:58.079
to stand up for yourself. Like where did you find

464
00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:01.599
the courage to do that? How how did you manage

465
00:25:01.640 --> 00:25:02.000
to do that?

466
00:25:02.359 --> 00:25:06.519
Look, yeah, I am the most uncon confrontational person in

467
00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:08.359
the world, Like I hate confrontation.

468
00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:11.799
I would just smile and laugh things away.

469
00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:15.119
But I had to decide, look like I need to

470
00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:19.240
stand off for myself, otherwise I'll be stuck in this

471
00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:21.720
place doing.

472
00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:24.440
What I don't want to do for myself. So I

473
00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:28.079
had to really pull up that courage where you know,

474
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:30.680
big girl pants and do it.

475
00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:34.200
And I guess when I actually went into that boardroom

476
00:25:34.240 --> 00:25:37.480
to have the meeting with the big boss, with the lawyers,

477
00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:41.599
the men in suits staring at me, I felt really

478
00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:46.880
calm and I could just speak what I wanted to

479
00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:52.119
say without emotion, like, without getting angry or upset. I

480
00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:56.440
just thank them, listen to their monologue for twenty minutes,

481
00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:58.440
and then I said, thank you, thank you for everything

482
00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:01.359
you've done for me, But you don't want me or

483
00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:04.000
my label if I don't do another covers album.

484
00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:07.279
So I guess this is it. You need to drop me.

485
00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:11.079
And that was a really great moment for me because

486
00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:13.680
it was the first time I actually went head to

487
00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:18.079
head with the biggest boss, who everyone was scared of.

488
00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:20.200
All the men in suits were scared of, all the

489
00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:24.559
artists were scared of, very powerful, and I was ready

490
00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:27.279
to be dropped. I wanted to be dropped, and they

491
00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:30.160
weren't going to let me go that easily. But it

492
00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:36.240
was the first step of me trying to escape that contract.

493
00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:39.680
Yeah, and you did right. That was the beginning of

494
00:26:39.720 --> 00:26:41.599
the end, really, and you were able to get out

495
00:26:41.599 --> 00:26:42.279
of that contract.

496
00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:43.519
Yeah, it took a while.

497
00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:46.680
It was a bit more patience, and by that point

498
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:50.720
I had a really great person who actually did have

499
00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:54.039
the best interest for me as an artist, and so

500
00:26:54.680 --> 00:26:58.519
he had to sort of threaten their people, saying, if

501
00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:01.960
you don't let her go, Dami might go and tell

502
00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:04.000
everybody she's you know.

503
00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:06.079
She's a bit crazier, you know, like you don't want to.

504
00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:10.920
Like. He had to do that, and their reputation was

505
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:11.839
important to them.

506
00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:13.720
So that's how it happened.

507
00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:17.359
But it wasn't straightforward, but we did get out together

508
00:27:17.480 --> 00:27:18.000
in the end.

509
00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:21.000
You talked in the beginning, tell me about being really

510
00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:23.680
religious and having a little Korean church community. And I

511
00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:26.279
know you spent like so many, you know, months and

512
00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:29.359
years performing at little Korean churches, traveling back and forwards

513
00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:32.559
to Korea to get yourself started to practice your craft.

514
00:27:33.319 --> 00:27:36.960
How important was your faith I suppose in getting you

515
00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:38.519
through those tough times as well.

516
00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:44.599
I guess whenever I had those upsetting moments, which were many,

517
00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:49.039
I had to keep reminding myself of how God has

518
00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:53.359
led me through that, like up to that point, because

519
00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:58.079
my journey from coming to Korea, coming to Australia from

520
00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:02.200
Korea doing piano, growing up here, going on X.

521
00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:06.400
Factor winning, like that whole thing was just crazy. And

522
00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:12.039
I really felt like that was God leading me through that.

523
00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:15.880
Whole process because it felt so supernatural, like how did

524
00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:22.200
this happen? Really miraculous and hard to explain, and yeah,

525
00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:26.519
it just amazed me. So I couldn't deny that God

526
00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:31.079
didn't lead me to that point, and so I kept

527
00:28:31.079 --> 00:28:34.240
thinking there must be something in this, even if I

528
00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:38.000
don't understand it. Now, you know, there must be a

529
00:28:38.039 --> 00:28:41.279
bigger plan, and you know He's going to take care

530
00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:46.319
of me basically like I'm in good hands and you know,

531
00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:49.279
no matter what, like and you know what, like I

532
00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:54.240
suppose I had this really like deep core belief that.

533
00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:57.880
Even if I lose everything, I'm.

534
00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:01.440
Gonna be okay, like that feeling, even if they don't

535
00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:06.359
want me anymore, or yeah, I go home and can't

536
00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:10.279
sing and do whatever, like I'll be okay because I've

537
00:29:10.279 --> 00:29:13.440
got you know, in his planned something will happen and

538
00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:16.119
I'll do something else, you know, like that that feeling

539
00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:19.960
helps you feel less desperate.

540
00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:24.119
Yes, I agree. I agree. You know, whether you are

541
00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:26.319
a little bit woo woo or whether you're you know,

542
00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:30.319
really traditionally religious, which you know I'm not. I'm much

543
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:31.680
more of that kind of Oh. I just think the

544
00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:34.319
universe is kind of out there protecting me. It gives

545
00:29:34.359 --> 00:29:36.359
you that sort of trust, doesn't it. It gives you that

546
00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:40.000
sense of no, like I don't have to cling so tightly.

547
00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:41.119
I'll be okay.

548
00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:42.839
Yeah, definitely.

549
00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:48.160
Like and I know a lot of people who believe

550
00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:52.559
that that's their everything, you know, they don't have that

551
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:58.319
sense of trust, as you said, and those people end

552
00:29:58.440 --> 00:30:01.599
up going the wrong path like being I've seen it

553
00:30:01.640 --> 00:30:04.640
so many times, like they become addicted to drugs or

554
00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:08.240
addicted to you know, just like bad relationships or like

555
00:30:08.279 --> 00:30:11.960
it's just that they need to grab onto something otherwise

556
00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:16.559
they're just so scared of, yeah, losing that one thing.

557
00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:20.000
And for me, yeah, that wasn't the case. I as

558
00:30:20.440 --> 00:30:21.119
much as I.

559
00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:24.720
Love what I do, I always try and remember even

560
00:30:24.759 --> 00:30:28.519
today that if I were to lose it, I'm still fine,

561
00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:30.400
Like I'm gonna be okay, even though I'll be upset

562
00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:33.640
of course, I'll be so sad, but I'll be fine.

563
00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:36.720
I'll be sad for a while, but I'll find my way.

564
00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:39.960
I also didn't see this on the news when it happened,

565
00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:42.559
but I've heard about it since that there was some

566
00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:46.480
big investigation into Sony, right, there was a four Corners

567
00:30:46.519 --> 00:30:50.240
report and the toxic bullying kind of culture. All these

568
00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:53.000
people spoke out. How vindicating was that.

569
00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:56.920
Yeah, when that came out, to be honest, like it

570
00:30:57.000 --> 00:30:57.880
was pretty tame.

571
00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:00.359
Like when I watched it, I was like, oh, that's it. It

572
00:31:00.599 --> 00:31:01.759
like that's all.

573
00:31:01.799 --> 00:31:05.480
And I guess, you know, because of lawsuits and like

574
00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:11.319
legal stuff, they probably couldn't show everything. But at least

575
00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:15.279
I was so glad that that day of all of

576
00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:19.119
us from the industry seeing that change happen, you know,

577
00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:20.799
that that was something to celebrate.

578
00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:22.359
And because like a.

579
00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:25.359
Lot of us would say back in the you know

580
00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:29.799
this all happened, or this all came out, we all said, yeah,

581
00:31:29.960 --> 00:31:32.400
you know what, this will never change in our lifetime,

582
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:35.559
Like that was what everyone said. People who were you know,

583
00:31:35.680 --> 00:31:40.480
employees of the company, other artists. Yeah, we just said, yeah,

584
00:31:40.480 --> 00:31:43.759
this probably won't change and you know until I'm old

585
00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:46.599
and retired. So who cares, Like I've just got to

586
00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:50.640
push through and live with how like the unjust treatment

587
00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:53.079
and whatever was happening. But yeah, so that was really

588
00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:58.240
great to see that change and you feel acknowledged, you know.

589
00:31:58.400 --> 00:32:01.559
And I guess like because of that, I can talk

590
00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:04.599
about these things and be believed. Otherwise I would just

591
00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:08.079
be like this person yapping and people going what do

592
00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:10.880
you mean? Like they're fine, everyone else is fine, Like

593
00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:12.279
why are you complaining?

594
00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.279
And that change, like that was big change, wasn't it.

595
00:32:15.319 --> 00:32:18.880
So the boss of Sony stood down, Like here had

596
00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:23.400
been the boss of everything, controlling the music industry for

597
00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:25.759
all of that time, and there's this massive change. Now

598
00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:26.839
there's this whole news.

599
00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:30.720
Yeah, everyone's talking out about what happened, and there's a

600
00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:33.640
new boss at the company, a female boss, so everyone's

601
00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:36.400
being a lot more hopeful about the future.

602
00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:41.440
So and for you, Darmy, you know what happened for you?

603
00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:44.000
So you got your own manager, You ended up joining

604
00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:44.880
a different company.

605
00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:48.400
Yes, I got signed to ABC, which is a lot smaller,

606
00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:52.480
but I have all the freedom, all the support. So

607
00:32:52.519 --> 00:32:55.880
I released my own album last year with them, which

608
00:32:55.960 --> 00:32:59.720
was so great because yeah, it was like I had

609
00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:04.039
all control do everything that I wanted to do, I

610
00:33:04.119 --> 00:33:07.240
always got, you know, said was always said no to.

611
00:33:08.200 --> 00:33:10.119
It's been so good and I'm you know, doing the

612
00:33:10.160 --> 00:33:12.599
book and tell the stories. I mean, there was the

613
00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:17.319
boring C word COVID of two years where everything.

614
00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:19.240
Was like about to happen, and then it did it.

615
00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:23.039
It felt like there's this gap where nothing much happened.

616
00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:26.720
But yeah, since then, everything's feeling so much better.

617
00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:29.839
Yeah, I'm so happy for you, honestly. And the album

618
00:33:29.880 --> 00:33:32.480
that you put out last year, which is called My Reality,

619
00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:37.279
is amazing, brilliant, Thank you, and it's what your DAMI

620
00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:41.039
Army have been waiting for for so long exactly. So

621
00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:44.079
I just think that Damie Army, so it just really

622
00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:45.759
speaks to the power of the fan base, you know,

623
00:33:45.839 --> 00:33:48.440
like I think about even the Free Brittany movement, like

624
00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:51.359
the fans for years fought for her to get out

625
00:33:51.359 --> 00:33:53.880
of that conservativeship and they just have so much power,

626
00:33:53.880 --> 00:33:57.160
and especially with social media now they are force the

627
00:33:57.200 --> 00:33:59.839
fan base. So I think that the DAMI Army is

628
00:34:00.119 --> 00:34:02.720
an amazing kind of story. You know that they have

629
00:34:03.119 --> 00:34:05.079
rallied around you and supported you for such a long

630
00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:07.400
time and they're so loyal and love you so much,

631
00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:10.199
So it is amazing that you're able to now share

632
00:34:10.599 --> 00:34:12.000
the truth exactly.

633
00:34:12.239 --> 00:34:15.400
Yeah, I think, and then they really deserve to know

634
00:34:15.559 --> 00:34:18.880
the truth of what happened with my videos and the

635
00:34:18.920 --> 00:34:21.719
photos and all the albums. Like it was just Yeah,

636
00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:23.719
that was the hardest part, I supposed because I couldn't

637
00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:24.719
tell them what was happening.

638
00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:26.880
I just had to be like, it's happening, and it's not.

639
00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:29.880
Happening, and they're saying, where's the video, where's the video?

640
00:34:29.880 --> 00:34:31.440
When you're saying and you couldn't say.

641
00:34:31.239 --> 00:34:34.719
Anything, yeah, and I'm just silent. That was hard.

642
00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:37.840
Dummy. You have a little baby, now you have your

643
00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:43.320
freedom in your musical career. What is next for you?

644
00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:45.079
Now that we are out of the worst of COVID,

645
00:34:45.159 --> 00:34:45.840
What is next?

646
00:34:46.119 --> 00:34:47.719
My gosh. Yeah.

647
00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:51.119
So I have been saying that I wanted to come

648
00:34:51.159 --> 00:34:53.840
back to Eurovision for the longest time, and that was,

649
00:34:54.199 --> 00:34:58.840
you know, two years ago, and so I'm hoping that

650
00:34:58.840 --> 00:35:02.000
that can happen soon. I'm hoping it's next year, but

651
00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:06.840
who knows that maybe Dami Army will rally again and

652
00:35:07.119 --> 00:35:09.199
SBS will make that happen for me.

653
00:35:09.800 --> 00:35:12.559
Who knows. So that's been at.

654
00:35:12.440 --> 00:35:15.360
The top of my list of things that I really

655
00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:18.159
want to do to come back and have another crack

656
00:35:18.599 --> 00:35:20.880
after all those years, now that I have, you know,

657
00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:25.000
the freedom and maturity I suppose, and yeah, that's that's

658
00:35:25.039 --> 00:35:28.400
pretty much all. I've been working towards this all the time.

659
00:35:28.440 --> 00:35:31.679
And then I'd love to to do more more music,

660
00:35:31.880 --> 00:35:34.440
and yeah, I have a few things that I really

661
00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:37.400
want to do that hopefully I can share if I

662
00:35:37.440 --> 00:35:38.679
get to do Eurovision.

663
00:35:38.719 --> 00:35:43.119
First, I mean, well done, congratulations on enduring and you know,

664
00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:47.000
just staying the course and finally, you know, getting to

665
00:35:47.599 --> 00:35:50.800
getting to tell your story and getting to do what

666
00:35:50.840 --> 00:35:53.119
you're born to do, which you really are.

667
00:35:53.880 --> 00:35:54.280
Thank you.

668
00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:00.960
Dami's memoir is called Dreamer and it is out now

669
00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:04.039
in all bookstores. You can follow her on Instagram at

670
00:36:04.119 --> 00:36:07.280
Dami im. Thank you for listening and don't forget. If

671
00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:10.000
you love Crapy to Happy, please subscribe so you never

672
00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:12.519
miss a new episode. Leave us a five star rating

673
00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:15.000
and review, and do share this episode with anyone else

674
00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:17.199
who you think might enjoy it. To keep up with

675
00:36:17.239 --> 00:36:19.679
what I'm doing, jump on my mailing list. It's at

676
00:36:19.679 --> 00:36:23.079
my website cast done dot com. Connect with me on socials.

677
00:36:23.119 --> 00:36:26.960
I'm cast Done, Underscore XO on Instagram and TikTok, and

678
00:36:27.039 --> 00:36:29.960
of course you can always email me hello at castone

679
00:36:30.079 --> 00:36:32.360
dot com. I cannot wait to catch you on the

680
00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:40.119
next episode of Crapy to Happy listener