Kelly Lim Harris
SINGER | ACTRESS | CABARET ARTIST
My Story
MY ARTISTIC MISSION
"I create art for those who’ve felt like they don’t belong and I hope we find a home in each other."
01
Where it all began...
Growing up in New Zealand, I often felt caught between my parents' worlds - East and West, privileged and underprivileged, belonging everywhere and nowhere. Though my home was filled with love, I struggled with an aching loneliness at my prestigious schools.
Music was my refuge. I devoured everything that came my way - from Debussy, to The Doors, to Dean Martin, to Disney. At age six, I competed in my first singing competition, did my first professional recording at seven, and performed as a soloist at Kids for Kids with Suzanne Prentice age eight.
02
The Overachieving Schoolgirl
In high school, it was that feeling of not belonging that pushed me to pour myself into a poetic life. That drive earnt me a Top Scholar Award, the opportunity to represent NZ performing at the Globe Theatre in London, study abroad in France, and a full scholarship to New Zealand’s top-ranked university. It's also when I began my lifelong affair with songwriting.
I took academics seriously, but after school, I’d escape to Opera Factory, a magical little theatre where I honed my stagecraft and discovered the thrill of performing. It was there, playing pretend, that I truly felt I belonged.
03
A Wish in Rome
Heart over head, I pursued a Bachelor of Music and Arts Conjoint Degree in Classical Voice Performance and European Studies, blending my passions for music, art, culture, and languages.
I had the privilege of being a soloist Young Achiever with the Auckland Philharmonia, played the title role in L'enfant et les sortilèges, spent a summer singing at the Auckland Art Gallery, and performed Shakespeare at the Pop-up Globe. The cherry on top was a scholarship to study in Venice, Italy.
Though I found success, I felt suffocated by the world of opera. Whilst visiting Rome, I made a wish at the Trevi Fountain - that a new path would fall into place when I returned home. And it did.
04
On the Road
The week I graduated, I landed my big break as a Resident Artist with a touring company and was quickly swept up in the excitement and glamour of show business.
I spent my days living out of a suitcase, performing on 17 national tours around 22+ venues, with international engagements in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Slovenia, Japan, Bali, and Australia.
From time to time, schedules would align, allowing me to take on side projects such as voicing 'Eel' in Hana the Glowworm for the Auckland Philharmonia and both performing and creating for New Zealand Opera.
05
Crossing the Ditch
After countless hours spent on tour buses and planes, I finally grew tired of living out of a suitcase. The time had come to dream new dreams and Australia had the doors - WAAPA would open them.
And so I applied for a place at the world-renowned Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in their Diploma of Musical Theatre. The last song I sang on my final contract in NZ (Thank You For the Music), just so happened to be the first we sang at WAAPA. How's that for a segue?
There, I spent a glorious year totally devoted to my craft - singing, dancing, acting, and perhaps most pivotally, learning to create my own work.
06
A New Era
On our last day at WAAPA we were presented with the goals we had written ourselves at the start of the year.
1. Come up with an idea for a solo show. I would be debuting my show Yellow Fever: An Original Musical Cabaret at FRINGE WORLD January 2026.
2. Learn how to get an agent in Australia That morning I signed the paperwork with my wonderful Aussie agents.
3. Consistently land a triple pirouette. Still working on this one...
It seems everything had fallen into place.
Now it's back into the big wide world for me, a new chapter, a new vision for my life, a new excitement bubbling in my heart.
Thank you for being here.
Kelly x
