Tulsi Kumar -The Baron's daughter

"I would hum songs right from early childhood," remembers Tulsi. "My father noted this and mentioned that I had a good voice. In his lifetime, he took me to Suresh Wadkar-ji and I learnt music there for about two-and-a-half years. But then came the tragic chapter in our lives and mom and I moved to Delhi. As it was my father's wish and as my interest in music had grown even more, I continued learning with Arvind Jha for over four years.'

During this period, the convenience of a home label and a supportive elder brother in Bhushan Kumar led to Tulsi trying out her voice and singing skills in various devotional albums, in which she also sang. "I was 17 then and I sang in about 7-8 albums like Aimil Jagran,' says Tulsi. 'One of the songs, 'Laal laal cholewali...' become very popular. I also had done some remixes and cover versions."

Bhushan also suggested that Tulsi should wait till her voice completely matured before stepping into the demanding terrain of film playback. "I was 19 when he heard me sing and said that I could step into playback singing," smiles Tulsi shyly.

The first break obviously had to be at home, and the chance came with the title-track of Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, the film which is being co-produced by Bhushan Kumar and uncle Krishan Kumar along with its director Raj Kanwar. It was a dream start with the top names in music - Anu Malik, Sameer and Sonu Nigam as a co-singer, with a sad, solo version of the same song to showcase her abilities.

"I think that I have a very different voice from any of the top singers," says Tulsi, the shyness omnipresent throughout our meeting. "This will help me as I do not sound like anyone else. Yet I think that my tonal quality will suit all the actresses."

And then destiny took a hand when Aksar, currently the chart-topping album, turned out to be her first release. "Aksar was not planned," explains Tulsi. "There was a song in the film and my brother asked Himesh (Reshammiya)-ji to try out my voice. Himesh-ji was very happy with the suggestion and thus 'Aksar...', the title-track became my first released film song." This time too, Tulsi had the A-list combination of Himesh as composer and co-singer and Sameer writing the lyrics again.

Tulsi is politically correct when asked to compare the working styles and way of teaching a song of Anu Malik and Himesh Reshammiya. "They are both so good," she says. "They made me feel so much at ease, and completely comfortable and relaxed." Cliches over, she admits that a little help came from the fact that both her songs have been recorded at T-Series' own recording studio.

She adds, "Actually the two songs cannot be compared. 'Humko deewana kar gaye...' is a hardcore romantic song, while 'Aksar...' is a very peppy beats-oriented number.'

Except for the brief solo version of the former, both her songs are duets with very popular names. When will she sing solos? Or is an album on the anvil?

"Yes, Bhushan is thinking along those lines. But we have to decide on the genre and the music directors and writers." Will big brother supervise her career? "Yes," she answers shyly. "He has so much experience in this business."

Does she anticipate resistance from other music companies if chosen to sing for outside films? Tulsi thinks not. "I am just starting out. I want to get songs on my own merit," she says.

When asked who would be the other composers she would love to sing for today, Tulsi has a surprise. "I am looking forward to sing for M.M.Kreem and Ismail Darbar." Why is that? "I love their compositions because they are unique." No strategically correct remarks this time then - after all, an artiste does seek artistic satisfaction alongside success.

Another stereotyped query: Who is her idol as a singer? "Lata Mangeshkar-ji," says Tulsi. "Listening to her is one of the best ways of learning and improving one's singing."

We could have answered that ourselves.