If there is one thing Fajr Bashir knows, it’s how to get people moving.

The 29-year-old is a fitness instructor and an aspiring singer.

“With fitness training you have to know how to motivate people to feel enthusiastic and keep moving,” she said. “You have to do the same thing when you get on stage.”

Ms Bashir will be put to the test on Saturday at the Bermuda Caribbean Music Festival. She’ll sing alongside Jamaican Idol Christopher Martin and Bermuda Idol Samantha Smith.

The singer said it’s her high fitness level that’s helped her feel confident on stage. She liked singing as a child but was often teased about having a high, squeaky voice.

“My mother, Amatullah Bashir, said to me once, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be a singer some day and show them all’,” said Ms Bashir.

Her mother was proved right — 21 years later.

“I was pregnant with my son, Sweden,” she said. “I don’t know why, but that brought out something in me and I began to write songs and sing.”

Until then she had written poetry but never song lyrics.

“The first song I wrote was called My Greatest Uh-Oh,” she said. “It was about having my son. He was unexpected and a lot of people were judgmental and regarded him as a mistake. In fact, he is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”

She took part in the Bermuda Idol competition in 2008. Although she didn’t win, she got over her fear of performing in front of people. No one made fun of her voice; the audience was supportive and enthusiastic.

“It was terrifying,” she said. “I felt vulnerable in a way that I had never felt before, but the experience was very empowering. I gained the confidence to keep performing.”

It led to her first gig, a New Year’s Eve performance at Shine’s House of Music in Pembroke.

Since then she’s been a backup singer and sung at local concerts. She released a single in 2011. Walkin’ on Air made it to the top spot on the Irie FM countdown. The next year she released a second single, So Long.

Her life took an unexpected turn in 2012 when she lost her job as a corporate administrator. Fitness helped her through it.

“At the time it felt like a massive blow but it caused me to turn inward and really become acquainted with who I truly was and what I truly loved,” she said.

“I believe we all have a purpose in this life and have gifts that we have come to share to make this world a better place.

“These are the things that no one can take from you. I knew it was a matter of time that I would be called to do my real job which was to heal myself, grow stronger physically, mentally and spiritually so that I could help others do the same. This was my sign from God that it was time.”

She received her personal training certificate from the National Personal Training Institute in Florida that August.

“In addition to writing and music, fitness and holistic wellness had always been a passion of mine and I was excited to finally have the opportunity to explore it at a deeper level,” she said.

Ms Bashir has about 20 private clients and teaches group fitness classes for a range of abilities at the Old Berkeley Institute. She often plays her own music as her clients cool down after a workout.

“It’s a bit mellow to play while my clients are exercising,” she said.

She described her music as “crossover”.

“I don’t think music should be limited by genre,” she said. “The only limits in music are what is in your mind.”

She’ll sing an original song, Never Knew Love, at this weekend’s performance. She hopes to one day put together her own album. At the moment she’s focused on fitness.

“It is always nice to get with people who do what you do and are passionate about the same thing,” she said. “It’s probably the biggest concert I’ve done so far.

“For me, singing is a creative outlet. It is just nice to use it to give something back to the community.”

• The Bermuda Caribbean Music Festival will be held in the CedarBridge Academy courtyard. Doors open at 8am. Tickets, $65 and $85, are available at Hott 107.5, Music Box, and 27th Century Boutique.

• Ninja Cutty, Spear Chucka and Salsa Friends will also perform.