Mild-mannered barrister by day, a dynamic pop star by night. A criminal lawyer from Melbourne has revealed her secret double life as a pop music singer, with her debut single shooting to number 11 on the UK charts.

Unbeknown to her peers, Bowie Jane has found a way to satisfy her passion for music while still keeping her day job. The 27-year-old law professional has been working as a full-time barrister in Australia for years, but she couldn't stay away from her love of performing so she moonlights as a singer at night.

"Music has always been my passion but my parents wanted me to get a degree and a proper job," the barrister told the Daily Mail. She didn't just get a degree, she got two. She finished university degrees in Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws.

"For the last four years I have been juggling the two, working as a lawyer during the day and performing five or six nights a week. It's rather strange as the judges and my clients and colleagues have no idea that I sing.

"Law is a male-dominated industry and very conservative and I'm worried that people wouldn't take me seriously if they found out. It shouldn't matter, but it does," the Aussie singer said. "I look and dress very differently at work compared to when I go on stage, which also helps."

To cover her true identity, Bowie uses a stage name as she performs on stage in front of thousands. Only her closest friends are aware of her nightly activities. She admits, though, that juggling her two careers can get rather confusing. Sometimes, she wears her performance costumes under her legal robes to save time.

There are times when living two lives inevitably causes problems for her. She cited an instance when she had to perform on the main stage at the Australian Open tennis tournament, but she was still in the middle of her working day as a lawyer.

"I literally hopped on a train, ran down there and changed into my clothes, then got onto the stage."

Bowie, who writes her own songs, said that she often feels exhausted at the end of the day.

"Doing a trial wipes you out and I was keeping my fingers crossed that my cases would finish in time for me to tour and promote my single."

Her first single "Luv Bomb" has shot to No. 11 on the commercial pop Top 30 in the UK charts, which has effectively blown her cover.

Bowie divides her time between Australia and the UK, spending six months in Melbourne and another six in London. She now hopes that her home country catches up with her music.

"I was getting a lot of interest over there so decided to pursue the music there," news.com.au quoted her as saying. "Now I'm hoping Australia gets on board."