[7][8][9] Hassan made her singing debut with the song "Aap Jaisa Koi", which appeared in the Indian film Qurbani in 1980.

Her debut album, Disco Deewane, was released in 1981, and charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up at the time.

[11] The album included the English-language single "Dreamer Deewane" which led her to be the first Pakistani singer to make it to the British charts.

[19] Hassan's professional music career started at the age of fifteen - and she was first discovered by actress Zeenat Aman, who she had come to meet as a fan, accompanied by her mother and brother.

[11][20][10] The song turned to be a huge success in India, and Hassan quickly gained recognition and acclaim.

Hassan promptly collaborated with Biddu on numerous other projects; in 1981, she became the first playback singer to release an album.

The album broke sales records in Pakistan and India and even topped the charts in the West Indies, Latin America and Russia, becoming an international success.

[22] At the height of Disco Deewane fever, she frequently drew large crowds, such as 50,000 to 100,000 people greeting her at Calcutta Airport.

[23] After the release of Disco Deewane, Biddu offered Zoheb and her a chance to act in the movie Star in 1982, but they refused and instead chose to perform the soundtrack.

[24] Hassan received her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Economics from the Richmond American University in London.

She accused her ex-husband of physical abuse and for poisoning her in a testimony given to the UK High Court before her death.

In a similar interview Hassan stated that her husband refused to bear the expenses of her cancer treatment and that she was looked after by her parents.

She is credited for her part in the introduction of mobile clinics in Lyari Town, to make medicine more accessible to those deprived.

Hassan worked with Javed Jabbar, former Information minister, to raise funds for children in Tharparkar and Rajasthan.

She went to a large number of schools to hand out toys to poor children and gave talks on the subject of social awareness for the under-privileged.

Her social and academic excellence won her a scholarship in Columbia University’s Leadership Program, but she was unable to take up the offer because around this time she was diagnosed with cancer.

In 2003, Hassan’s parents created the Nazia Hassan Foundation to further their daughter’s efforts to make the world a better place for everyone, regardless of caste, creed and religion; they decided to open school for street children would help in the grooming and education of working street children.

[22][33] On 9 March 2002, Nazia Hassan Tribute Concert was held in Karachi, the classic line-up of Vital Signs and Jupiters performed together on stage – for the first time in almost 7 years.

In 2007, Ahmad Haseeb created the documentary A Music Fairy in a tribute to Hassan which was screened at Kara Film Festival and University of Ankara.

In 2009, Director Faraz Waqar paid a tribute to Nazia for her work in music and making Pakistan proud.

On 31 October 2014, Global Voices Online named her as "Young, Independent women who made a space for themselves in Pakistan Music Industry".

"[36] Also in 2014, the posthumous honorary degree of doctorate from Richmond American University, London, was received by her son Arez Hassan in her honor.

"[15] In 2018, Google honoured her with a doodle on what would have been her 53rd birthday that "imagines her performing with her famous flowing hair and dupatta, and the disco balls of the 80s glinting behind her."

[43] She is also the recipient of the Pride of Performance,[44][45] an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the field of literature, art, sports, science and education".

The award was presented to Muniza Basir, Hassan's mother, from the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf in an official ceremony held at Islamabad in 2002.