Trained initially in Carnatic music,[4] Vidya Shah later received guidance in Khayal from Shubha Mudgal and learnt thumri, dadra and ghazal gayaki from Shanti Hiranand.

Her international platforms include Humboldt Forum, the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, Kala Utsav in Singapore, ICCR, in Trinidad and Tobago.

[3] A recipient of the Pro Helvetia Residency in 2010, Shah is also a writer and lyricist, and serves as a member of cultural committee of South Asia Foundation.

Later she worked as an activist with Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sanghatan (Rights based Trade Union for Agricultural Laborers) Jhabua District in Madhya Pradesh, India.

She was founder member of Paridhi Research – Rights based women's organisation working on reproductive and sexual health with focus on birth control methods.