[4] Born to a mother who was a fan of theatre and ballet, and a father who introduced her to new genres and artists, Novakovic studied piano, church organ, and violin.
As one of only two women working on the development teams at that time, and the only in-house musician, Novakovic described the initial experience as "daunting to begin with," but eventually noted, "what I found though was a genuine camaraderie from the top down.
"[5] Her first project for the console was Donkey Kong Country, alongside David Wise and Robin Beanland, where she was responsible for seven tracks, including "Simian Segue", "Treetop Rock", and "Voices of the Temple".
[5] In 2005, Novakovic left Rare after completing voice work for Kameo: Elements of Power for the Xbox 360[6] and eventually retired from the games industry in 2007.
[6] She has cited major musical influences historic artists such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Francis Poulenc, Gabriel Fauré, Franz Liszt, Bach, Charles-Marie Widor, Carl Orff, César Franck, and contemporary artists like Marie Claire Alain, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Amadinda.