An accountant by profession - a model and singer by passion, Anita Prasad is all set to release her debut musical single. Indian Weekender engaged her in a conversation about her passion, profession and future plans.

Tell us about your early life and studies.??

I was born in Suva, Fiji Islands, and am the youngest sibling out of four sisters. I completed my college studies at Bhawani Dayal Arya College, Nasinu (Suva). I further pursed my studies at University of South Pacific in Accounting and Management. I also worked at Fiji Television Limited.?Accounting is my lifetime career. Hence, upon migration to New Zealand, I continued with further education in Accounting at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and graduated in Bachelors of Business in Accounting and Management.

You said that accounting is your lifetime career. How did you then develop an interest in modelling???

I love Accounting from college and have been in this field for the last 15years. In my leisure time, I was always interested in magazines, fashion, beauty and music.. ?I believe that a person must maintain balance in all their activities. So I have also tried to keep a balance in all that interests me.
When was your first break in modelling???I actually had my first appearance in an extras session on a local TV programme called Shortland Street in year 2010. Later on, I started taking part in fashion shows that were organised by Face of Beauty New Zealand.

Shortly afterwards, I was given an opportunity to participate in a beauty pageant called Diversity New Zealand, that I couldn't say no to because the pageant was about celebrating different cultures all over NZ, which I was very much in support of.

With the success of Diversity NZ, I got the opportunity to represent New Zealand in an international beauty pageant, Miss United Nations Tourism in 2012 at Kingston, Jamaica. After competing against 22 nations, I was crowned as Miss People's Choice and Miss Best Personality.??Thereafter, the door to success opened. I was crowned as Face of Beauty New Zealand, 2013 at an event held in Auckland, NZ.

Currently, I'm also a founder/CEO of the beauty pageant called Mrs New Zealand. The winner of this event represents NZ in the international pageant called Mrs Universe.

Also, lately, I did modelling for Studio 81 in New Market. That was an amazing journey. 

Tell us about your first single (Let’s do it).

Let’s Do It is a pop/rock song that targets the young generation. It is a clubbing song with seasonal mix of summer. The lyrics send a message to the young stars in this western world to live life as life is given to be lived i.e. happily, stress free and to be on it.?Let’s do it is launching on July 25 and will be available to download from iTunes, YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, SoundCloud, Amazon, Apple Music and all other social media network.

With a full-time job in accounting, how do you manage to find time for modelling??

I believe in the saying that “if there’s a will, there’s a way”. I do not let one work affect the other. One should allocate his/her time wisely to accomplish all their goals. That's what I did. 

What inspired you to choose this profession (modelling)?

The beauty pageants that I participated in played an important part in building my confidence. It was a good platform for me. I told myself that nothing is impossible in life, and therefore, explore rather than being lazy.

I'm inspired by few Hollywood celebrities such as JLO (Jennifer Lopez) and Kim Kardashian. I see them as strong women who switched onto different perspectives in career from their initial setups and expanded.

Where do you see yourself in next few years? Any plans for pursuing a career in music?

Music is something that I like and I will continue. Let's Do it is my first single. There are 6 other singles to come and then an album. I see myself collaborating with other artists, both local and international. Music is a universal language and I will expand as far as I could to touch the listeners’ heart.