Superknova

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] As a physician, 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]

SuperKnova
SuperKnova on the set of her Goals_ music video in 2021
SuperKnova on the set of her Goals_ music video in 2021
Background information
Also known asEllie Kim
OriginChicago, Illinois
Genres
  • Indie pop
  • Queer pop
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • Producer
  • Recording Engineer
  • Mixing Engineer
  • Mastering Engineer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • Guitar
  • Piano
  • Drums
  • Synthesizer
Years active2017–present
LabelsSelf-released
Websitesuperknovaofficial.com

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 in 2019.[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 Dr. 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][28]

Appearances in media

SuperKnova's song "Glitter and Blood" appears in Season 1, Episode 2 of Showtime's Work in Progress.[29] 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.[30]


In 2023, makeup brand Sephora added SuperKnova to their Sephora Sounds artist roster, a music collective that "reflects the authenticity of Sephora's broader beauty community."[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]

References
  1. Schoenberg, Nara (July 28, 2020). "Under growing pressure from employees and activists, Lurie Children's Hospital may end controversial genital surgeries on children born with bodies that aren't typically male or female". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  2. "Pidgeon Pagonis". WTTW News. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  3. Julious, Britt (October 4, 2017). "Ellie Kim and SuperKnova like a blast of sonic fresh air". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  4. "American Queers, by SuperKnova". SuperKnova. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  5. "superuniverse by SuperKnova". SuperKnova. May 24, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  6. Schoenberg, Nara (July 28, 2020). "Under growing pressure from employees and activists, Lurie Children's Hospital may end controversial genital surgeries on children born with bodies that aren't typically male or female". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  7. "After Lurie Children's Pledges To Stop Surgeries On Intersex Kids, Activists Urge Other Hospitals To Follow". Block Club Chicago. July 31, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  8. "Illuminating Identity: Ellie Kim Shines As SuperKnova". These Days. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  9. "Doximity". www.doximity.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  10. "Getting to know Superknova". Kinky Elevator Music. July 6, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  11. "Getting to know Superknova". Kinky Elevator Music. July 6, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  12. Rebecca, it's (November 30, 2020). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  13. "SUPERKNOVA". BOPS & FLOPS. November 6, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  14. "SuperKnova". SuperKnova. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  15. Rebecca, it's (November 30, 2020). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  16. "Getting to know Superknova". Kinky Elevator Music. July 6, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  17. "Transgender Music & Artists | Bandcamp". bandcamp.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  18. Rebecca, it's (November 30, 2020). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  19. "Pidgeon Pagonis". WTTW News. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  20. "How Pidgeon Pagonis Helped End Intersex Surgeries at Lurie". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  21. Schoenberg, Nara (July 28, 2020). "Under growing pressure from employees and activists, Lurie Children's Hospital may end controversial genital surgeries on children born with bodies that aren't typically male or female". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  22. "How Pidgeon Pagonis Helped End Intersex Surgeries at Lurie". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  23. "Garofalo, Robert, MD, MPH". www.luriechildrens.org. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  24. "Intersex Care at Lurie Children's and Our Sex Development Clinic". www.luriechildrens.org. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  25. Nora Neus (July 30, 2020). "Major children's hospital apologizes for history of cosmetic genital surgeries on intersex infants". CNN. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  26. "SuperKnova (@superknovamusic) TikTok | Watch SuperKnova's Newest TikTok Videos". TikTok. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  27. Rebecca, it's (November 30, 2020). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  28. "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  29. "Music from Work in Progress S1E02". Tunefind. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  30. "Music from Work in Progress S1E04". Tunefind. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  31. user (August 1, 2023). "Sephora Launches Music Collective to Champion and Invest in Diverse Artists for a More Inclusive Creator Community – Sephora Newsroom". Retrieved August 9, 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  32. "sephora on TikTok". TikTok. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  33. "Archived copy". www.aaiff.org. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  34. "Islands". Asian American International Film Festival. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
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