Dami Im — aka Snow Fox — has been crowned the winner of The Masked Singer Australia for 2023, beating out Conrad Sewell in a kangaroo get up and Darren Hayes as The Grim Reaper. In the grand finale, panelist Chrissie Swan lived up to her super sleuth persona on the franchise, correctly guessing that Dami was behind the mask.
It’s been a decade since Dami first captured hearts around Australia with her emotional audition on The X Factor Australia 2013. Her journey from reality TV contestant to household name has been nothing short of inspiring.
Speaking with The Latch following her Masked Singer win, Dami said that her triumph was unexpected.
Dami Didn’t Expect to Win The Masked Singer Australia 2023
For over eight weeks, Dami’s performances as the Snow Fox had the judges stumped. But even after stunning the panel and audience with her fierce rendition of Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman”, she still found it surprising that she was walking away as The Masked Singer victor for 2023.
“I was very excited to have won and I wasn’t expecting to go all the way necessarily,” Dami said. “I thought I was going in with — just to have fun, really, that’s being very honest, and just having a good time under the mask and survive the weight of the heavy costume. And so yeah, when I got revealed, it was kind of a relief, I guess.”
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Even after winning The X Factor Australia back in 2013 and taking home the runner up title at Eurovision 2016, she still describes this most recent success as feeling “very surreal”.
She also took the opportunity to reflect on her 10 year journey as a professional musician, noting that her debut as an artist on The X Factor and win on Masked Singer were both on the same stage.
“I realised just how much growth that I’ve been through as a performer and as a person. I’ve grown so much and I’ve experienced so much during those 10 years,” she mused. “And just to know that I was still around doing what I wanted to do, performing, doing shows, releasing albums, and connecting with my fans 10 years on.”
Dami described the moment as a “big milestone” — almost like a “checkpoint” — to measure her accomplished career in music.
“I didn’t disappear back to whatever I was doing before I had all these opportunities come my way as a musician,” she added.
The entire experience left her feeling “incredibly grateful” and proud of herself for exercising perseverance and patience.
“As a woman, as well as a mum, still doing what I love and being just as active as I was back 10 years ago, to me that feels like a big achievement and I feel very happy about that,” she said.
How the Spice Girls Helped Shape Dami Im’s Identity
After her Masked Singer reveal, Dami shared a heartwarming moment with panelist and girl group alum Mel B about the Spice Girls’ impact on her identity. She told us more about how the Spice Girls’ songs helped her learn English when she’d moved to Australia from South Korea at nine years old.
“I didn’t speak much English at all — really any — and music really became my identity and kind of a sanctuary,” Dami recalled.
Her obsession with music started early when she began playing piano at the age of five.
“Piano really became my identity. And I would play at school, I would do competitions. I got into the Young Conservatorium program and just music became my life.”
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Dami’s first taste of pop music and learning a new language came about from listening to the Spice Girls’ albums.
“I used to just learn all the words and study [Spice Girls’ songs], and that was my English lesson,” she said, laughing. “Singing in front of a real life Spice Girl all these years later and telling her about that story, that felt just crazy. Unbelievable.
“I’d never have guessed that would ever happen in my life,” she added.
Dami Correctly Guessed Her Masked Singer Rivals
For the finale, Dami shared the stage with other famed Aussie singers — Conrad Sewell and Darren Hayes. Each of them brought their A-game, despite being concealed behind the heavy masks.
The stars didn’t really get to interact much behind the scenes, Dami said. However, she did have an inkling about who each of them might be.
“I just guessed it — no one confirmed it for me, but I was pretty sure that’s who they were,” she said. “I didn’t know for sure until the reveal last night, so that was pretty cool, sharing the stage with them. It’s such a pleasure to have sung with those two out of all the different people it could have been.”
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Would Dami Im Do Masked Singer Again?
This season wasn’t the first time Dami’s been asked to join The Masked Singer, but she felt like 2023 was finally the year to do it.
“I didn’t think I would do this show, even though everybody wanted me to do it for so long,” she said. “I’m really a fan of the show, now — now that I’ve experienced it.”
When asked if she would ever grace the Masked Singer stage again, Dami hinted, “If they do an ‘All Stars’ or whatever they do — like a return version — it could be fun to do.”
Beyond the show, Dami is set to release a Christmas album titled Christmas Songbook on November 17, 2023. It features classic holiday favourites and original music, co-authored by Rick Price.
The Masked Singer Australia is streaming now on 10 Play.
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