Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and singer Ellie Kim, aka SuperKnova, is a true Renaissance woman: she composes, writes, records, engineers, and masters each and every one of her guitar-driven alternative pop songs entirely by herself. Her music is inspired and motivated by her very own coming-of-age story of finding her place in life and the music world as an Asian American, queer woman, and artist.
She creates queer pop, a unique sound that incorporates hip-hop-inspired drums, driving synths and virtuosic guitar solos. She writes about identity, queerness and the struggle of being your authentic self, and how her art inspires others.
As a former guitarist for multiple bands across different genres, ranging from jazz to metal, Kim is able to shape her sound with some raw grit and a handful of glitter. Above all her music proves to be beautiful and complex, as heard on 2017 EP Splendor Dysphoria and 2019 album American Queers.
According to Qwearfashion, she attributes the meaning to her chosen name, SuperKnova, to breaking free of society’s expectations of her.
“A supernova is the final most energetic explosion before the death of a star. Something I realized when I was growing up and especially when I was coming out as trans [is that] I already was living a life so outside of people’s ‘normal,’” she said. “So, why should I care what people think or say about me? Living in the chaos and living in the beauty of it resonated with me. I realized life is short- you should do whatever the f*** you want.”
Listen to “Goals_” by SuperKnova, our song of the week, to find out why we can’t get enough of her music: