Few unsigned singers can get über-producer Timbaland and legendary songwriter/producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins to produce tracks for them. But few have had the drive, energy, ambition and talent as Carishma.

Hard work and entertainment are in the singer’s blood. Her mother is a Bollywood singer and actress who always had music playing in the house and Carishma would dance to the latest pop and Bollywood tunes. Her father is a self-made businessman who worked his way through college making pizzas and bartending; he now runs a successful business. It was this work ethic that Carishma learned early on that would pave the way for the singer’s current—and future—success.

By the time she was 5, the New Jersey-born singer was already performing daily for her family, drawing on then-current 80s pop songs and not allowing her parents to eat dinner until the show was finished. This childhood passion only grew stronger as the singer got older, with the trained vocalist recording her first song at 13 and a series of tracks for an independent label before finishing high school.

After recording with up-and-coming producers, word of Carishma’s talent and hustle quickly spread throughout the industry, eventually reaching Timbaland. While most college-age performers plan for the future, Carishma was living hers now, flying down to Miami to record the propulsive, driving dance-pop track “Keep Hangin’ On” produced by and featuring Timbaland at the vaunted Hit Factory in Miami.

Meanwhile, the acting bug that began early in life in commercials and a HBO movie continued to inspire Carishma. A graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, Carishma’s resumé includes a long list of musicals and films that she hopes to continue in the near future.

But that’s the future. For now, the singer’s latest offering is “Glow in the Dark,” the buoyant, infectious pop track produced by Jerkins. Given that Carishma’s dance-pop sound recalls the best of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and early Janet Jackson—three superstars who have all enlisted Jerkins to help with their sound—the collaboration was a no-brainer.

The track, according to MTV Buzzworthy, “mixes old-school Britney bubble gum with a dreamy guitar riff and sexy, hypnotic beat that perfectly matches Carishma’s dance goddess-y persona.” Directed by Taj Stansberry, whose video for Jennifer Lopez’s “On the Floor” is the second-most viewed music video of all time on YouTube, the “Glow in the Dark” video showcases the singer’s unique beauty and fashion sense. A constant multi-tasker, Carishma co-designed much of the fashion and jewelry seen in the video.

Fans of “Keep Hangin’ On” and “Glow in the Dark” won’t be disappointed by Carishma’s upcoming debut, set for release in summer, 2012. An accomplished songwriter in her own right, the singer has been working with some of the best songwriters and producers in the game today, including J.R. Rotem (Rihanna, Nicki Minaj), Rico Love (Beyoncé, Usher) and Claude Kelly (Britney Spears, Bruno Mars) to create an upbeat, exuberant album that, according to Carishma, “encompasses the feelings of young love.” Carishma never had a Plan B when it came to music, but as her career has shown so far, she doesn’t really need it. With a radio tour, live dates and album all in the works, don’t be surprised if you see some of her inspirations calling her to collaborate in the near future.

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