Stay here, I will give you many film songs,' famous music director Ilayaraja told a budding female singer after listening to her voice. And Ilayaraja broke the silence.'Now you don't have to go back to Kerala. When she finished the second song, Ilayaraja and others remained quiet for some time. She sang a light music number and was asked to sing another song. She said, 'I don't know keerthanam.' Then he asked her to sing any song she knew.

Ilayaraja asked her to sing a keerthanam. Amidst daily programmes, Mini came to Chennai with her father and met Ilayaraja. Ilayaraja wanted to meet Mini immediately. Without Mini's knowledge, Jayachandran recommended her name to Ilayaraja. Mini used to sing in the ganamelas of Unni Menon, Krishnachandran, Jayachandran and others. When she did the track for three songs in the film, Rajamani could not think of letting another singer sing those songs: 'He approved the songs rightaway.'ДЄfter 'Swagatham', she got a few more films. Rajamani liked Mini's voice and he invited her to do track for the Malayalam film 'Swagatham'. When music director Rajamani sought a track singer for an album, others suggested Mini's name. However, she could not concentrate on studies as she had many stage programmes and recordings. She got admission in RLV Music Academy, Thrippunithura. She sang many Christian devotional songs.ДЄfter pre-degree, Mini decided to study music. Later, CAC gave her chances to sing in cassettes. It gave her a lot of publicity and she was invited to sing in the ganamela troupe of Cochin Arts and Communications (CAC). Mini won first prize for light music at the state-level school festival while she was in class-X. One of the sisters, Jancy, sang in Kalabhavan's ganamela troupe. The sisters participated in competitions while they were studying in St Francis Girl's High School, Aluva. Her father taught her to sing in rhythm and pitch. Mini's elder sisters sang in the choir in their village church. Treeza was a singer, though not a professional. He used to write and direct plays for his colleagues in the company where he worked. P A Joseph was crazy about art and artistes. Minmini was born at Keezhmedu, near Aluva, in 1970 as the fourth daughter of P A Joseph and Treeza. She has lent her voice to hit songs from films including Karuththamma (1994), and Thevar Magan (1992) where she worked with film composer Ilayaraaja.

Her first hit song was Chinna Chinna Aasai from Mani Ratnam's award-winning 1992 Tamil feature film Roja, composed by A. Minmini is a South Indian film playback singer.

Chinna chinna aasai song