Superknova

Ellie Kim, artist name SuperKnova, is a physician, singer, activist and musician.[1][2][3] She has released two studio albums, most recently American Queers.[4] 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.[5][6]

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.[7] She attended Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and graduated with her MD in 2019.[8] She did not attend residency and instead chose to pursue a career in music after graduating.[9]

Music career

Ellie Kim started SuperKnova while in medical school.[10][11] 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.[12] Her first album Splendor Dysphoria was released on Bandcamp in June 2017.[13] 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.[14][15] Her second album American Queers is one of the “all-time best selling transgender albums” on Bandcamp.[16]

Production

Kim is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and audio engineer. She writes, produces, records, mixes and masters all of her own music.[17]

Activism

As a physician, Kim has advocated for intersex justice alongside activist Pidgeon Pagonis.[18][19] 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.[20] She advocated for change within Lurie Children's Hospital in collaboration with Dr. Robert Garofalo, division head of Adolescent Medicine.[21][22] 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.[23][24]

Personal life

Kim is a genderfluid, transgender woman and uses she/her/hers pronouns.[25][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]

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.[30]

References
  1. Schoenberg, Nara. "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 2021-09-21.
  2. "Pidgeon Pagonis". WTTW News. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  3. Julious, Britt. "Ellie Kim and SuperKnova like a blast of sonic fresh air". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  4. "American Queers, by SuperKnova". SuperKnova. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  5. Schoenberg, Nara. "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 2021-09-21.
  6. "After Lurie Children's Pledges To Stop Surgeries On Intersex Kids, Activists Urge Other Hospitals To Follow". Block Club Chicago. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  7. "Illuminating Identity: Ellie Kim Shines As SuperKnova". These Days. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  8. "Doximity". www.doximity.com. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  9. "Getting to know Superknova". Kinky Elevator Music. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  10. "Getting to know Superknova". Kinky Elevator Music. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  11. Rebecca, it's (2020-11-30). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  12. "SUPERKNOVA". BOPS & FLOPS. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  13. "SuperKnova". SuperKnova. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  14. Rebecca, it's (2020-11-30). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  15. "Getting to know Superknova". Kinky Elevator Music. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  16. "Transgender Music & Artists | Bandcamp". bandcamp.com. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  17. Rebecca, it's (2020-11-30). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  18. "Pidgeon Pagonis". WTTW News. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  19. "How Pidgeon Pagonis Helped End Intersex Surgeries at Lurie". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  20. Schoenberg, Nara. "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 2021-09-21.
  21. "How Pidgeon Pagonis Helped End Intersex Surgeries at Lurie". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  22. "Garofalo, Robert, MD, MPH". www.luriechildrens.org. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  23. "Intersex Care at Lurie Children's and Our Sex Development Clinic". www.luriechildrens.org. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  24. Nora Neus (30 July 2020). "Major children's hospital apologizes for history of cosmetic genital surgeries on intersex infants". CNN. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  25. "SuperKnova (@superknovamusic) TikTok | Watch SuperKnova's Newest TikTok Videos". TikTok. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  26. Rebecca, it's (2020-11-30). "SUPERKNOVA". music is her passion. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  27. "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2021-09-21. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  28. "Music from Work in Progress S1E02". Tunefind. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  29. "Music from Work in Progress S1E04". Tunefind. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  30. "Archived copy". www.aaiff.org. Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2021-09-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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