Shakila, the youngest member of her family, was born in the Tehran on May 3, 1962. At the age of nine, she was invited to perform on a television show. Shakila studied traditional repertoire and "Radif" with Mahmood Karimi. She remained a student of his for some time and at the age of 18 she decided to move to the U.S. to continue her studies in the field of Classical Music.

Shakila fulfilled her dream of becoming a professional singer in 1990 by releasing her first album Kami Ba Man Modara Kon. Her interest in Rumi has inspired her to sing many of Rumi's poems. She has also contributed two Persian pieces to a Middle Eastern album called Operatica-Shine.

She currently lives in the L.A. area with her family. Her son Shahrdod is part of the Persian group Juniors 5.