Ellie Kim, artist nameSuperKnova, 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]
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 onBandcamp.[13] Her first albumSplendor 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 asupernova, 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 albumAmerican Queers is one of the “all-time best selling transgender albums” on Bandcamp.[17]
As a physician, Kim has advocated for intersex justice alongside activistPidgeon Pagonis.[19][20] On July 23, 2020, Kim became the first physician atLurie 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]
In 2023, beauty retailerSephora 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]
