[1] As a child, Nayyara is said to have been inspired by the bhajans of Kanan Devi and Kamla as well as the ghazals and thumris of Begum Akhtar.

[1][2] Although Nayyara had no formal musical background nor formal training, she was discovered by Professor Asrar Ahmad at the Islamia College in Lahore when he heard her sing the Lata Mangeshkar bhajan “Jo tum todo piya” from Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje for her friends and teachers at an annual dinner at the National College of Arts in Lahore in 1968.

[2][1] In 1971, Nayyara made her public singing debut in Pakistani television serials and then beginning with films such as Gharana (1973) and Tansen.

[1] Nayyara performed at mehfils and mushairas, having cemented a following among ghazal lovers in Pakistan and India.

Probably the most famous ghazal of hers was "Ae Jazba-e-Dil Gar Main Chahoon", written by Behzad Lucknavi.