MUMBAI: Her name is Barbie and she sounds like one too. Started singing at a tender age of four, when her parents and grandparents identified her potential in music and sent her for training in classical music when she was five. Barbie picked up really quick and well, so much so, that when she was all of eight she started performing live. 

Barbie says, "I have been performing live gigs since I was eight. I performed in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and all across. Later, when I was 11 I participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Little Champs. Since then I have been a part of many reality shows. I was also a part of The Stage Season 2. It has been a great learning experience. Especially for me, as I am a very shy person, these shows helped being a real performer."

Her experience with reality shows also introduced her to legends like Sonu Nigam and Suresh Wadkar, who were judges for one of the show. "Their encouragement has really boosted my morale," says Barbie.

Originally hailing from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Barbie moved to Mumbai to complete her graduation and pursue her dreams too. She did her Bachelors in Arts from Sophia's. But, it was three years ago, that a budding artiste, who is just done with her teenage took a bold step of not performing live for a while. She elaborates, "I was performing a lot and for a long time. However, I felt that it was all mediocre and nothing original. I was singing songs sung by someone else. That is when I decided to take a break, rethink about what I want to do. I didn't stop singing, just stopped performing live. But I am restarting with my live performances again."

In the meanwhile, she honed other aspects of being an artiste. "I appeared in commercials, a show on Channel V called Ishq Unplugged, cut out two singles called Minus and Brew My Love Anyway and starred in a movie too," Barbie adds.

She has starred in a movie called Love Sonia (by the makers of Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire) and now in the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anil Kapoor starrer, Fannay Khan.

But, music remains Barbie’s focus. She has graduated to become a songwriter and put her first Extended Play record (EP) called Sweet Pot out. "I plan to write more of my own songs,” she says.

When asked what she enjoys the most out of all the profiles she has of an actor, songwriter, actor or singer, she says, “Everything. The best thing is I can incorporate my experience of one art form into another."

Barbie Rajput is all set to be a prolific artiste.