[6][7] She started learning Khayal, Thumri, and Dadra from Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of Patiala gharana.

[8][6] As a child, her sister Mukhtar Begum would take her to the Khan's place for regular riyaaz (practice of classical music).

Farida Khanum gave her first public concert in 1950 at the very young age of 21, and then joined Radio Pakistan, where she gained recognition for herself.

[6] The ghazal she is most associated with is Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Naa Karo, written by the famous poet Fayyaz Hashmi.

[6] She visited Kabul, Afghanistan, in the late 1960s and early 1970s for concerts where she collaborated with Afghan musicians and sang Persian-language ghazals.