To some people, fame comes late, but comes for good.And Jaspinder Narula is a glaring example of this phenomenon. The powerful-voiced singer shot to fame after a duet with Remo Fernandes in Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, and walked away with many awards that same year. Two years later, she is today rated among Bollywood's most sought after playback singers.

Jaspinder's tryst with singing began early, being the offspring of K S Narula, a veteran composer of the 50s. However, with her strong spiritual inclinations, Jaspinder kept away from film singing and specialised in singing bhajans and Sufiana compositions.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan provided Jaspinder the much-needed push towards the music industry. He invited the young singer to the felicitation party of veteran composers Kalyanji-Anandji, who had just won the Padamshree. Upon meeting the young talent, Kalyanji invited her to Mumbai, but Jaspinder, who was busy with academics, stayed away from the glitter of tinsel town.

Jaspinder made her way to Mumbai, years later, when Kalyanji recommended her to his son Viju Shah. The few assignments that she took up went largely unnoticed. A fairly good break came in 1997, when Anu Malik offered her an assignment in Virasaat,for which she recorded a duet with Kumar Sanu. Thereafter , there was no stopping Jaspinder, who went on to record for the industry's top-notch music directors.

But in an industry where a singer's worth is measured more by quantity rather than quality, Jaspinder has managed to render a fair range of tracks. Right from Akhiyon se goli maare from Dulhe Raja, to Bumbro from Mission Kashmir, Narula has covered a wide canvas of genres, exhibiting her best each time. She also rendered vocals for Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein. The singer declares that she is willing to try anything, as long as the songs don't border on vulgarity. Her repertoire thereby remains dynamic and impressive.

An ardent Sardarni at heart , Narula is at ease with all kinds of music, be it devotional, filmi, folk, pop, western or classical. With a post-graduate degree from the University of Delhi, she is pursuing her PhD on the influence of Urdu and Persian on Hindustani classical music.

Narula has also tried her hand at the pop scene with the album Kuch Kuch Dil Mein, an album that didn't quite generate the kind of reaction that her playback singing does. However, with scores of film assignments in the pipeline, the diverse singer need not worry too much about pop acts.