New album: "Classic Carpenters" by Dami Im

[Toney03]

Classic Carpenters is again this week the #1 Australian-produced album!

Dami Im is now the 3rd placed favourite among the bookmakers for this weekend's Eurovision contest. If she manages to do as well as expected, I think people around the world will discover her Carpenters material - perhaps with some of the younger ones appreciating Carpenters for the first time.

Well Dami Im placed 2nd overall in the Eurovision Final for 2016, comprehensively winning the votes of the 41 National Juries by a huge margin, and showed what an amazingly versatile voice,, she has such vocal power and dynamic range -



This has also raised the profile of her recently released "Classic Carpenters" Album throughout Europe, so many new fans there will get to hear these beautiful songs in this wonderful tribute. Dami will spreading the joy of Karen and Richard's artistry to a new generation!

 

[Tapdancer]

Dami Im's Eurovision single was #1 in Australia last week, but has dropped to #5 this week. So one would think it's all over for her chart-topping Classic Carpenters album, which itself dropped to #4 last week.

Wrong. Classic Carpenters is yet enjoying a second wind, currently back up to #2 on the charts! It appears people who previously weren't too familiar with her work are wanting to discover more of her; or the heavy marketing of Carpenters along with her forthcoming Yesterday Once More tour of Australia is gaining the desired traction. Either way, the younger set are surely getting a taste of Carpenters material they'd otherwise never have a chance to be exposed to.

Bless you, Dami Im.

 

[GaryAlan]

Source:
It’s yesterday once more for Dami Im »

LISA ROCKMAN
June 24, 2016
Dami Im brings the magic of The Carpenters to a new generation
"Im is touring from July through to December and is excited about helping fans to discover – or rediscover –the music of The Carpenters.
She released an album, Classic Carpenters, and kicks off her Yesterday Once More: Classic Carpenters Tour next month.
“My parents used to play The Carpenters when I was little and always loved their songs,” Im says.
“They are such well-written songs with great melodies and lyrics and I thought,
why don’t I bring them back and make my own versions of them? So I did.
“Karen Carpenter’s voice has such a pure tone to it,
and even when she sings about cheerful things I can feel a kind of melancholy in them which makes it even more beautiful and heartfelt.”

 

[Toney03]

The recording and release of her "Classic Carpenters" album has led Dami Im to use the music from this album as the theme for her 35 date "Yesterday Once More" tour of Australia starting in July and going through to December.

The introduction notes for this tour are published for the venues to use, in these Dami describes the reasons she wanted to do this unique album and use the music for her tour theme:

In a move that echoes the stellar singers from pop’s past, Dami has opted to recorded a covers album, with a twist. Any serious pop connoisseur will go a little giddy at the notion. Dami’s "Classic Carpenters" is as blindingly good as the concept sounds.

“My first paid gig as a singer was at an upmarket Chinese restaurant in Brisbane where they had an upright piano and I had to bring my own microphone and a speaker to sing for a couple of hours each week,” explains Dami.

You see … when it came to selecting material, Dami knew exactly where to look.

“Growing up in Korea, and then in Australia, my parents used to listen to pop songs. I didn’t know who the singer was but I listened and sang along anyway. When I was looking for songs that the diners might like to hear, I realised a lot of the tunes that I knew were ones that my parents had played. Many were songs recorded by the Carpenters.”

“I really liked the feeling of innocence and magic these songs had. I loved the tone of Karen’s voice which is so pure and clear yet somehow fragile and mournful. (Her voice) was just like her life that seemed perfect on the outside but lonely and lost on the inside. Her music sings of optimism but a deeper emotion carries through … the more I performed their songs, I could relate more and more with Karen.”

“[But] being a person who prefers coffee with a small group of friends rather than drinks at a crowded party, it was difficult becoming a ‘pop star’ all of a sudden,” she explains. “It’s more that two years since X-Factor and I’ve played all over Australia and Asia… and during these years I’ve experienced some of the stress and the constant pressure that comes with being in the spotlight. The success I’ve had as a singer is minimal compared to Karen, who was a worldwide mega star, but I can relate to some of the mental strain and the loneliness Karen would have lived through. Throughout her life (Karen) was never in a lasting long-term relationship. She suffered from anorexia, something that wasn’t as well-known back then, and it eventually took her life.”

“My intention isn’t to copy Karen’s voice or her tone,” continues Dami. “Our voices naturally sound so different. I try to bring out the joy and the innocence in the songs while trying to sing them as honest and raw as I could as Dami, rather than pretending to be someone else.”

For Dami, Classic Carpenters is about one thing … the music. Great songs are made to be sung and those song-lines are carried through generations. Dami adventures with music started when she was five years old and learning the piano. That led to classical piano, a Music Degree and a Masters degree in singing jazz. The extravagant outfits on X-Factor caught our attention but her trademark is her incredibly distinctive voice.

“X Factor opened up so many new doors that I could never have imagined. I’ve gotten to travel to countries such as China, Korea, Singapore, America and Sweden to perform my songs and to write new ones.”

“People recognise me as ‘that singer’ from the X Factor who has a big voice and a big wardrobe. I thoroughly enjoyed the extravagant outfits and the make-up,” she reflects, “but, with this album I wanted to go back to who I was before all of that happened and reintroduce who I really am and always have been - I’m a musician and a singer first. On this album, before my producer and I decided on any arrangements, I sat at my grand piano and sang and through some of the Carpenters’ tunes and recorded them while accompanying myself. Those home recordings became the starting point and the inspiration behind each of the tracks. With this album and through my live performances, I hope to be remembered as the girl who is a real musician at heart who speaks truthfully through her craft.”

 

[Toney03]

Live Australian TV performances of some Carpenters songs by Dami Im in April 2016

The Morning Show 7

Rainy Days and Monday's
April 18


Superstar
April 19


I Need To Be In Love
April 20


Yesterday Once More
April 21
Dami Im - Yesterday Once More - Channel 7 Morning Show »

We've Only Just Begun
April 22
Dami Im - We've Only Just Begun - Channel 7 Morning Show »


Sunrise Show 7

Close To You
April 21
Dami Im - Close To You - Channel 7 Sunrise »

 

[Nick Sphnix]

She's certainly can sing, but these sound merely like well polished karaoke versions. She doesn't bring much individuality of phrasing or emotion to these covers. I was moved when I heard them, but it was due to the lyrics and the copied arrangements than what she did with them. For instance, Mary Beth Aziarz did a beautifully melancholy cover of Close to You but it was done in a distinctive way that brought back memories of the Carpenters version while having an impact on its own. I hear strength in Dami's voice but no genuine ache or texture.

 

[MARK KILLINER]

well, after starting a new thread by accident, not knowing about this one, I`m now in the right place

WOW, what a voice this girl has!
I was going through ebay listings tonight, looking at carpenters stuff and came across this girls album that`s been released, so I went to youtube and listened to the clips you guys have posted here and boy, was I impressed. I normally hate these cover versions because I think there`s only one person who can sing these, and that's Karen, but I genuinely like this girl a lot!
good luck to her, I hope the cd sells well ........ wow.

 

[song4u]

Very talented young woman. I'll be looking for downloads! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Toney03]

well, after starting a new thread by accident, not knowing about this one, I`m now in the right place

WOW, what a voice this girl has!
I was going through ebay listings tonight, looking at carpenters stuff and came across this girls album that`s been released, so I went to youtube and listened to the clips you guys have posted here and boy, was I impressed. I normally hate these cover versions because I think there`s only one person who can sing these, and that's Karen, but I genuinely like this girl a lot!
good luck to her, I hope the cd sells well ........ wow.

Well Mark she is half way through doing a 38 gig sold out concert tour of Australia right now, and having seen and heard her perform these beautiful Carpenters songs live with a band she is even better than the recordings!

There is a possibility that Sony will release a live concert DVD/BRD of Dami Im performing these songs along with others, we can only hope that this will happen

 

[MARK KILLINER]

Well Mark she is half way through doing a 38 gig sold out concert tour of Australia right now, and having seen and heard her perform these beautiful Carpenters songs live with a band she is even better than the recordings!

There is a possibility that Sony will release a live concert DVD/BRD of Dami Im performing these songs along with others, we can only hope that this will happen

I certainly hope so.

 

[CraigGA]

There's A Kind of Hush has a nice new uplifting contemporary arrangement, primarily in her vocal style. It is one of my favorites from her album.

 

[MARK KILLINER]

She's certainly can sing, but these sound merely like well polished karaoke versions. She doesn't bring much individuality of phrasing or emotion to these covers. I was moved when I heard them, but it was due to the lyrics and the copied arrangements than what she did with them. For instance, Mary Beth Aziarz did a beautifully melancholy cover of Close to You but it was done in a distinctive way that brought back memories of the Carpenters version while having an impact on its own. I hear strength in Dami's voice but no genuine ache or texture.

what a beautiful sound nick, thank you.
I think your spot on there as well. this is the reason I don`t like many of these covers and tribute bands. the carpenters tracks were written to highlight karens voice and nobody is going to match that, but it dos`nt stop them trying! too many try to sing the songs the same way and it just dos`nt work, a bit like Elvis trying to do Michael Jackson!
if these artists sang these songs their own way, in their own style, like mary beth, maybe they`d pull it off, but I guess at the end of the day, we as fans listen to these songs and still hear Karen, so perhaps that dos`nt help.

 

[KevCav333]

wow - the forum is posting this Dami??? Not really into this - PLEASE move on.......

 

[MARK KILLINER]

I`ve had a good listen to this album now and have to say, well done to her!
3 tracks are my favourite and I think she has done them beautifully, in order of preference;
THERE`S A KIND OF HUSH
CLOSE TO YOU
I WON`T LAST A DAY WITHOUT YOU.

and I`m going to be controversial here as well
I`m almost tempted to say I prefer Dami`s version of `a kind of hush ` more I can`t stop listening to it, I think it`s brilliant! anyway, I`m off to shoot myself before you guys are kicking my door in
I think what makes this album good, is that dami has made it her own way and hasn't tried to be Karen, like many others do. she`s put her own little spin on it and coupled with her lovely voice, it works. I`m not saying I like every track, but certainly the three above work for me!