SuperKnova
American singer and activist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ellie Kim, artist name SuperKnova, is a singer, activist, physician and musician.[1][2][3] She has released two studio albums, American Queers[4] and, most recently, superuniverse.[5] She is noted for speaking out publicly against non-consensual intersex surgery in infants while working at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.[6][7]
- Indie pop
- Queer pop
- Musician
- Producer
- Recording Engineer
- Mixing Engineer
- Mastering Engineer
SuperKnova | |
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SuperKnova on the set of her Goals_ music video in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Ellie Kim |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
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| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2017–present |
| Label | Self-released |
| Website | superknovaofficial |
Education
Kim attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she studied jazz guitar.[8] She attended Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and graduated with her MD.[9] She did not attend residency and instead chose to pursue a career in music after graduating.[10]
Music career
Ellie Kim started SuperKnova while in medical school.[11][12] During this time, she began her gender transition and wrote songs as a form of therapy to process her emotions around coming out. She initially did not plan on releasing them. However, a friend eventually convinced her to put them on Bandcamp.[13] Her first album Splendor Dysphoria was released on Bandcamp in June 2017.[14] She chose the artist name SuperKnova based on her childhood fascination with space. The name is based on the cosmological phenomenon of a supernova, the final most energetic explosion before the death of a star. She saw this as an analogy of how she wanted to live life: giving it her all and seeing beauty in the chaos.[15][16] Her second album American Queers is one of the “all-time best selling transgender albums” on Bandcamp.[17]
Production
Kim is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and audio engineer. She writes, produces, records, mixes and masters all of her own music.[18]
Activism
As a physician, Kim has advocated for intersex justice alongside activist Pidgeon Pagonis.[19][20] On July 23, 2020, Kim became the first physician at Lurie Children's Hospital to publicly speak out against cosmetic, medically unnecessary surgeries performed on intersex infants without their consent.[21] She advocated for change within Lurie Children's Hospital in collaboration with Robert Garofalo, division head of Adolescent Medicine.[22][23] On July 29, 2020, Lurie Children's hospital formally changed their policy regarding intersex infant surgery and became the first hospital in the United States to do so.[24][25]
Personal life
Kim is a genderfluid, transgender woman and uses she/her/hers pronouns.[26][27]
Appearances in media
SuperKnova's song "Glitter and Blood" appears in Season 1, Episode 2 of Showtime's Work in Progress.[28] She also sings a cover of The Beat's "Mirror in the Bathroom" (produced by Ethan Stoller) that appears in Season 1, Episode 4, the "Bathroom" episode.[29]
In 2023, beauty retailer Sephora added SuperKnova to their Sephora Sounds artist roster, a music collective that "reflects the authenticity of Sephora's broader beauty community".[30][31] She was one of three artists to be featured on their TikTok page alongside the announcement of the program.[32]
Awards
In 2021, SuperKnova's music video for her song "Goals_" was selected to the 44th Asian American International Film Festival in New York City.[33]
In 2023, SuperKnova's music video for her song "Islands" was selected to the 46th Asian American International Film Festival in New York City.[34]