[6] Caralisa started writing her own songs in college but due to the demands of being the only bread winner in her family at an early age, had to concentrate on work.
[7] Her first break with Bollywood came when the acclaimed trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy invited her to sing the chorus of the song "Jaane Kyon" from the cult film Dil Chahta Hai in 2001.
[11][12] She has worked with the Welsh musician and composer Karl Jenkins performing the track "Hymn" on his project Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary for his India tour as the only soloist.
[17] Monteiro wrote and recorded the ballad "All Alone"[18] that was featured on the Indie movie Rize of the Zombie starring Luke Kenny.
[19][20][21] She performed at the 'Rhythm and Blues Festival'[22][23][24] organized by the Genesis Foundation and supported by Rolling Stone Magazine (India) to raise funds for underprivileged children to provide critical life-saving interventions in 2013.