A lot of you will know Leela, one way or another. She is the Events Manager with Vibe, to whom respect must be paid for the impressive DJ line-ups seen at the long-standing ‘DEEP’ nights at Trilogy (R.I.P.), and this Radiohead obsessed Española has been the driving force behind Deep’s soirée reincarnate, NOVA at Sanctuary.

Whilst she remains far from unfamiliar with the inner-workings of a nightclub, she cites her favourite hobbies as travelling, Radiohead, yoga, ballet, Radiohead, reading and is also a big fan of Radiohead.

Being the driving force behind one of the most successful promotion teams in the country, we thought it was about time to take her out for a drink and an ol’ fashioned chin-wag…

So, what connection have you got to music in your professionalcapacity?
I used to do this job in New York and I have a huge love for the industry. I love a huge variety of music ranging from rock to classical to dance music. At home I rock it, I dance to Tchaikovsky and in a club, well, I rock it again

As a promoter/party-plannerextraordinaire, what parts of your job do you most/ least look forward to?

I am a natural born organizer and I adore my job. I get to meet the world’s top artists and performers. I get to meet very interesting, connected and influential people and make lots of new friends. I honestlycan’t think of any part of the job I don’t like, even dealing with infuriating agents has its fun.

If we were to check your iPod for the ‘most played’ tunes, what would we find?
Radiohead, Radiohea and anything from RADIOHEAD.

NOVA has brought out some of the biggest names in Dance music to
Dubai over the past couple of years; any personal highlights?
Oh, I absolutely loved Steve Lawler; he was amazing! What a sound. I have to say I loved Leeroy from the Prodigy as well, but this is probably because I used to be such a Prodigy fan. And he played all the Prodigy tracks. I forgot to work that night and didn’t leave the dancefloor.

Who is left on your wish list of performers you’d like to bring out to Dubai? (Let’s be hypothetical and imaginative; they can be alive or dead) I would do anything to be able to bring out The Doors. Could you
imagine what hard work they would be with our rules and regulations here?! “Jim! Control yourself. This is DUBAI!”

Some of these people can be quite demanding. Have you ever had any prima donna performers with NOVA?
The French! Oh my God, they are a nightmare! All our French DJs have been complete divas!

What’s the most bizarre request you’ve had on an artist’s rider?
Well DJ riders are fairly tame; nothing too shocking. We organized the Akon concert before the summer and his rider was funny. He wanted everything in black; black towels, a black sofa and a black Chaise- Longue. Seriously!

How many years have you spent in Dubai now?
Only a year and a half, I’m a newbie.

What do you like most and least about our fair city?
The thing I like most is the diversity and different ethnic groups. The thing I like least would have to be the lack of green. I miss nature terribly.

Some say that Burj Khalifa is basically like (The Artist Formerly Known As) Prince: you can change its name all you want, but it’s still pretty impressive. Is that fair? How do you feel about the world’s tallest ever debt-repayment?
We always strive to be bigger and better in everything we do; it’s human nature. It’s a pretty impressive structure and looks great on our skyline.

If Dubai borrowed 10 billion dollars from you, what would you ask for in return?
I want to be given the twisty tower, their building in the Marina (Infinity
Tower) and have it named after me! I love that building. It’s going to look awesome.