Singer, songwriter, actress, author, producer, socialite and more, Victoria Aitken is a girl who knows to keep her finger in as many pies as possible, as you never know what might go wrong.

The 24-year-old entered this world with a life as a public schoolgirl, A-star student and career as a lawyer mapped out by father, British politician Jonathan Aitken.

What daddy, a UK Conservative Member of Parliament and British government minister, hadn't factored in was what would happen to his daughter if he was ever found guilty of perjury and sent to the slammer for seven of his 18-month sentence.

"What happened to my father changed me forever, for the better," the well-spoken Brit tells tabloid!. "We were rich and we ended up with nothing."

Aitken's story is a slightly less common riches-to-rags tale — a subject which inspired her to get creative and follow her dreams rather than a financially-motivated career. It's paying off as her latest single, Sunshine, entered the UK charts last week at number 20.

Socialite daughter

Breaking into a song she sings: "Living off daddy's plastic was so fantastic, just got a J.O.B. what a misery, I just wanna break free."

Talking once again, she continues, "There's one line that's, ‘I've got holes in my underwear, do you think he's gonna care, but if he snickers he can buy me new knickers.'"

In the lyrics to Vicky From the Yacht, Aitken tells of life as a rich UK socialite daughter of divorced parents, one in jail. Aitken's first single, Daisy, was released in December 2008 and reached number five in the UK dance charts.

One of the newest stars of the British dance scene, her deep electro-house singles are proving popular with punchy hooklines, crisp synths and funky, pulsing beats.

Her songwriting abilities have received coverage in magazines including New York Magazine, Vogue, GQ, XXL, W Magazine, Elle, as well as column inches in The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, and The Guardian.

From singer/rapper to documentary director, Aitken headed to Dubai to research options for a film and book she has in the pipeline. Aitken has starred in numerous films including Scooterman — a movie which not only features her songs but was selected to show at the Cannes Film Festival last May.

"I made a movie which starred Richard Branson [pictured below] once," a fact she slipps into the conversation as if chatting about her next door neighbour. "It's a funny story, actually, because we contacted a lot of famous people and didn't get very far and then just tracked them down and interviewed them on the spot for our documentary. It worked because they said what they really thought."

Jack of all trades is how Aitken describes herself, being creative in her decisions.

Her latest project is called The Tribal Women of Pakistan — a documentary and book looking at the wild and remote areas of Pakistan. "Pakistan is often in the news, reporting how the women in tribal areas are mistreated," she said. "Intrigued to find the truth behind the stories, Ruby Malak, a friend of mine, and I thought we'd delve deeper."

As you'd expect, the privately-educated woman is not only fluent in English, French, German, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian but is also a champion skier, winning the Swiss schoolgirls' gold as a teenager.

Aitken takes every opportunity that comes her way. "I was at university and I mentioned I wanted to write a song and the next thing I knew a New York newspaper contacted me and wanted to interview me about it," she said with a confused look.

"I panicked, because I hadn't really thought it through. But the experience helped me be more open-minded about the decisions I make and now I take everything as it comes."

‘No joke'

Dressed in a black-and-white summer dress, Aitken seemed to swing the conversation back to the music without a thought. "A lot of people say my music is a joke, but it isn't a joke for me. I've always been into it.

"If my father hadn't gone to jail, I think I would be a lawyer now," she said. "I know what happened made me realise how short life can be but also the fact money isn't everything.

"It was difficult — my parents divorced, my father was in jail, totally bankrupt: all the checks in the boxes that were bad happened in the space of a couple of months. Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

"Today seemed the perfect time to release this track, as everyone else is suffering from economic problems due the worldwide market crash. So hopefully now it's a song everyone can relate to. It's a fun, silly sarcastic song, and hopefully after this economic crash things can only go up."

But until then her advice is, "Sew your socks, get glass rocks and always use your friend's yacht."

Vicky on the UAE

"My father came out here a lot in the '70s, and it's also where my parents got together. My father was sick in Abu Dhabi and my mother nursed him back to health."

She loves:

Bars/clubs: 400, Barasti bar  "The DJ there, Ritchie Kidd, did a remix of my song Daisy."
Food: Nobu, and Flooka, Dubai Marine — "What a great location for a fish restaurant."

 

Shopping: O boutique, Jumeirah "They have amazing jewellery and a great selection of designers."

 

Hotels: Khatt Springs Hotel and Spa, Ras Al Khaimah — "What a great bargain for a get away weekend, and the Address Hotel is amazing and what great views."