Nova Leigh Paholek (born 22 July 1988), known professionally as Nova Rockafeller, is a Canadian independent rapper, singer, songwriter, and music video director.
Rockafeller was born in Edmonton,[4] and raised in Jamaica;[2] living there from the ages of 9 to 14[5] after her family started a water sports business.[1] She also briefly lived in Toronto and New York City.[6][7] As a teen, she dropped out of high school and began rapping during a difficult period of her life split between sleeping at the Edmonton Youth Emergency Shelter and living in a series of group homes.[4] She was inspired to start rapping after exploring the online battle rap forums by her then boyfriend.[6]
Career
Rockafeller grew up surrounded by music as her father and her brother, Terry Paholek, were heavily involved with the Edmonton music scene and had their own home studio.[4] She began rapping at the age of 15 when she was living in a group home.[8][4] The moniker 'Nova Rockafeller' was given to her one night during a party with other rappers, who decided she needed a new name.[6]
In 2011, Rockafeller released her debut album Insufficient Funds, which chronicled six months of her life.[6] In 2012, Rockafeller had her song 'call me (BAT MAN) 347-574-7192' posted on the front of The Pirate Bay during its period as 'The Promo Bay'; the song was available as a free download.[9]
Mercury Records took notice of her, so Rockafeller moved to New York and signed with them.[10] The label would later become Island Records, and, in turn Def Jam.[4] Her relationship with Def Jam ended when the company dropped her without warning after three and a half years. She found out when her landlord said that the company would no longer pay her rent.[8] Prior to the label dropping her, Rockafeller had been working on an album named Accidentally Gangster,[7] which was cancelled.[citation needed]
In 2021, Rockafeller released "Hey You", her first solo single in over 2 years to tease her newest album Scared of Heights.[8] The video received over 250,000 views within a single day.[19][self-published source?]
Side projects
In 2012, Rockafeller launched her line of jewellery 'Toys on Chains'.[20][7]
Personal life
Relationships
In 2017, Rockafeller began dating Canadian rapper Tom MacDonald. Together, they started the band GFBF and began writing music.[21] When MacDonald wrote 'Dear Rappers' and gained prominence, Rockafeller poured herself into supporting him. She shot and directed all of his music videos after 2017,[citation needed] created his website and was featured on most of his albums, and helped him navigate the music industry away from the pitfalls she experienced.[8]
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