Education
Born in London, he attended Quintin Kynaston School in Saint John"s Wood, London, and started playing with the London Jazz Orchestra at the age of 14.
Born in London, he attended Quintin Kynaston School in Saint John"s Wood, London, and started playing with the London Jazz Orchestra at the age of 14.
Born Stephen Charles New, in the 2000s he changed his name to Stella Nova and formed Beastellabeast, his last music group. He came to attention with his connections with the city"s punk scene at the age of 15 after being asked to audition for Sex Pistols as a second guitarist alongside Steve Jones When Pistols" bass player Glen Matlock was ousted from the band, he invited New to join his new group Rich Kids alongside Rusty Egan and former Slik singer Midge Ure. He later played with Sid Vicious, Public Image Limited, Iggy People’s, Chrissie Hynde, Kim Fowley, and a solo Glen Matlock whose last solo album, Born Running was dedicated to New, and featured his last recorded work.
A longtime transvestite, in his later years he came out, and preferred to be known as Stella Nova.
He was the composer/musician/producer in Beastellabeast, along with lyricist/vocalist Beatrice Brown. Facing terminal cancer, Nova played with a reformed Rich Kids in London in January 2010 at a benefit concert for her family.