Barnali Datta Acharya's musical journey started at a tender age of eleven, under the tutelage of her mother and Sri Kalyan Banerjee in Burdwan. Very soon after, she learnt from Smt. Sreela Banerjee, daughter of legendary vocalist, the late Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty.
Barnali's presentation of Khayal and Thumri bears the essentials of Banaras and Gwaliar gharanas. But it is the assimilation of various gharanas which actually bears the chief characteristics of her taleem during her stay at Banaras.
It is not only Thumri & Khayal, such forms as "Chaiti", "Kajri", " Hori" & "Bhajan" which marks her spirit of music. She justly finds emotional upliftment through the presentation & persuation of such forms of music. The same spirit of music made her to trans grace the forms of Bengali Raga pradhan songs and Najrulgiti.
Laurels such as various scholarships,. Pandit Omkarnath Thakur memorial prize, selection in AIR competition from Varanasi in Thumri-Dadra are a few of her achievements. Bamali is also a casual artist in AIR and Doordarshan.