Novena Carmel is a music lover, DJ, host and Voice. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area surrounded by her mother’s record collection, sheet music, and a deeply rooted musical legacy. Her father, Sly Stone of Sly & The Family Stone, built the blocks of her funk foundation and passed on the appreciation for “everyday people,” and her family’s connection to Brazil along with Japanese-bilingual elementary schooling, further expanded her world-view.
Inspired by the guidance of an important mentor, her grandfather, Novena moved to Los Angeles at age 18 to attend UCLA, and graduated with degrees in Mass Communications and African-American Studies. She has been a proud LA resident ever since with a deep appreciation for the city’s contributions to the global cultural landscape. For 14 years, Novena worked in entertainment booking for Temple Bar Concepts, which has owned and operated live music venues and cultural havens throughout the LA area including famed Temple Bar, Zanzibar, The Virgil and Townhouse & The Del Monte Speakeasy. She has also been a member of multiple music groups, leading to performances at Lollapalooza, Warped Tour, Abbey Road and Coachella.
When Carmel launched her DJ career, it quickly took off, fueled by a lifelong passion for sharing music, genre versatility, undeniable energy and ability to read a room. She has since worked with many brands and venues as a DJ including the Hollywood Bowl, Natural History Museum, “The Squad,” California African American Museum, the Underground Museum, Soul in The Horn, The Academy Museum, Netflix, Apple Music, Dublab, Stones Throw Records, Red Bull, Sennheiser, Ace Hotel, Neuehouse, and Amoeba Records. When not behind the turntables, Novena enjoys interviewing artists, providing voiceovers and hosting events and has collaborated in this capacity with Intel, Bandcamp, School Night, Higher Ground Audio, Apartamento Magazine, and Beverly Hills Pride.
In 2018 Novena was invited to join the music team at Los Angeles-based radio station, KCRW, and quickly become a popular DJ/Host because of her joyous spirit and expansive personalized music collection. She now hosts KCRW’s flagship weekday show, Morning Becomes Eclectic. She is currently not in a band, but enjoys singing with her soul and jazz choir, The Voices of Creation. In August of 2022 they released their debut EP, and are currently working on an LP
