"I have always been struck by the depth and originality of her music and her voice. Her musical vision is a bold and beautiful one."
Ben Monder, Guitarist and Composer
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Sunny Kim is a vocalist, composer, and cultural leader whose work embodies deep listening, creative courage, and a commitment to care. Born in South Korea and now based in Australia, her practice spans continents and traditions — rooted in relational ethics, intercultural dialogue, and a vision of music as a site of healing, intersectional collaboration, and transformation.
Sunny leads and co-creates projects that centre diasporic, First Nations, and underrepresented voices. She is the founder of Ensemble Ochaye, a collective of diasporic women artists whose works MotherSong MotherLand and Water Song have been commissioned and presented by Sydney Opera House, Perth Festival, Adelaide Festival, AsiaTOPA, and Melbourne Recital Centre. She co-leads Hand to Earth, an ARIA-nominated ensemble with Yolŋu songkeepers Daniel and David Wilfred, where traditional manikay meets vocal improvisation and ambient sound. She is also a founding artist in Cloud Maker and Tower Divas, two initiatives that nurture intercultural collaboration and honour diverse creative lineages.
Sunny’s artistic philosophy — shaped by her diasporic journey and long-term collaborations — is grounded in trauma-informed and culturally responsive methodologies. In her 2020 Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address, To Dance with Our Others in Embrace, she advocated for creative cultures rooted in reciprocity, patience, and trust. Her leadership lies not only in the sound she makes, but in the space she creates: relational, reflexive, and attuned to complexity.
Sunny’s work as a vocalist and composer is celebrated for its originality, emotional depth, and technical brilliance. Her sound world traverses jazz, experimental, traditional, and electronic idioms — blending extended vocal techniques, real-time processing, and improvisation. In DownBeat Magazine, her 2023 release Liminal Silence was praised as “deeply spiritual... an otherworldly soundscape.”
She has released six albums as a leader, with four nominated for Best Jazz Album at the Korean Music Awards, and received accolades including the 2024 Music Victoria Award for Best Experimental Work and the 2023 APRA AMCOS Art Music Award for Performance of the Year. Her voice has resonated on stages across the globe — Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Pierre Boulez Saal, Jazztopad, Jeonju Sori Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, and Hamer Hall — and she has performed with artists including Roswell Rudd, Ben Monder, Trevor Dunn, Darius Jones, Ran Blake, Min Xiao-Fen, and Peter Knight.
A dedicated educator and mentor, Sunny has taught at Hanyang University, Seoul Institute of the Arts, Soongshil and Dankook Universities, and currently lectures in Jazz and Improvisation at the University of Melbourne. In 2025, she joined the international faculty at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, teaching in the Soundweavings residency.
She holds a Doctorate in Music Performance from Griffith University, where her research focused on trauma-informed, intercultural collaboration. Through her teaching, research, and artistic leadership, she continues to model inclusive creative practice — mentoring emerging artists and shaping future sound cultures with integrity, imagination, and deep care.
“Kim’s haunting voice doesn’t stay within any tradition. Her processed vocals soar over us like aurora borealis.”
Martin Busink, Musique Machine Magazine
"Delivering haunting melody lines... Kim's winding, electronically manipulated vocal recalls early Ursula Dudziak."
Larry Nai, Cadence Magazine
“Haunting... gorgeous and pliable... Kimʼs vocals are hushed, reminding at times of Rhiannon from the San Francisco womanʼs collective alive of some 25 years ago... Kimʼs vocal is not a scat like Ella, but an open sound, ala Annette Peacock.”
Mark E. Gallo, JazzReview.com
"That simple but refined flavor is evident throughout Painter's Eye, from the shimmering ripples of "Bloom and Wither" to the hushed, uneasy drones of "Ink Silence." Kim is expressive but controlled, connecting emotionally with a stark sense of constraint.”
Shaun Brady, Jazz Times
“[Sunny Kimʼs] bell-like vocal instrument, clean phrasing, and distinct, confident tone ring true from beginning to end... extremely talented and likable.”
Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic.com
“A crystalline voice that delivers the lines with controlled passion.”
David Dupont, Cadence Magazine
“Sunny Kimʼs voice sings, murmurs, cajoles, and whispers with intelligence, clarity, and beauty... she has more than enough chops to run away with the show.”
David Wayne, JazzReview.com
“The collaboration of Kim's Korean lyrics and Ben Monder's moody guitar make Painter's Eye absolutely shine. The entire album is something of a stunning experience, and it might just break a few hearts, too."
Dave Sumner, AllAboutJazz
"Sunny is a fine and studied singer. With her conservatory background and chops, she is capable of taking on any kind of a challenge. In my music she handles the compositional demands with great eloquence and expertise...very sensitive to the musical and emotional demand of each song. I'm singing on the trombone and Sunny is a great complement to my efforts."
Roswell Rudd, Jazz trombonist
"Sunny has rich and beautiful texture, perfect pitch and excellent musicianship. She's an intelligent singer and a true artist. It makes me absolutely delighted to hear the way she approaches Steve's [Lacy] songs."
Irene Aebi, Jazz vocalist
"Sunny's influence range from Bjork to Billie Holiday with lyricism and emotional presence that are all her own."
Dominique Eade, Jazz vocalist
“Her voice travels in bright shards - pellucid even through the tiny speakers of a pair of ear buds. It carries life force, culture, and reaches for connection.”
Peter Knight, Trumpeter and the Artistic Director of Australian Art Orchestra
“[Sunny Kim]’s a totally spiritual singer but also has a strong command of her craft.”
Darius Jones, Jazz saxophonist
“Sunny’s performances capture the hearts and minds of her audiences and collaborators alike through her honest and spiritual approach and the purity, depth, and flexibility of her sound.”
Aviva Endean, Clarinetist and Improviser
“Sunny’s music is as if I shut my eyes and imagined what new music could sound like. Surprise, suspense, imagination, and great taste make for great music.”