Alex & Nilusha

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Alex & Nilusha is a music project based in Australia, led by percussionist Alex Pertout and vocalist Nilusha Dassenaike. Their work incorporates elements influenced by their Latin American and South Asian heritage. [1]

Contents

Recordings from Alex & Nilusha have featured various national and international guests, including American guitarist Mike Stern, Egyptian percussionist Hossam Ramzy, pianist Paul Grabowsky, Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter Tom E. Lewis, Latin jazz flautist Dave Valentin, guitarist Leonard Grigoryan, Puerto Rican pianist Edsel Gomez, Cuban Tres master Pancho Amat, Cuban violinist William Roblejo, and trumpeter Miroslav Bukovsky. [2] [1]

Alex & Nilusha's debut album Moments in Time was received positively, earning the title of ABC Jazz's ‘Album of the Week’ and an ABC Jazz Notes ‘Top 5 Australian Jazz Albums of 2012’ endorsement. Their 2014 release Tales To Tell was awarded the ‘Premio Internacional’ at the 2015 XIX CubaDisco Music Awards in Havana, Cuba. [3]

Members

Alex Pertout

Alex Pertout is from Santiago, Chile. [4] He lived in Gorizia, Italy during his teenage years, and grew up in Melbourne, Australia where he developed his musical skills and later graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with High Distinction. He holds a MPhil degree in Music from the Australian National University.

Pertout has recorded on multiple albums, and motion picture soundtracks. [5] Some of these include albums by Powderfinger and Daryl Braithwaite, and soundtracks such as Crocodile Dundee and It Runs in the Family.

Pertout is a founding member of the Australian Art Orchestra led by Paul Grabowsky, with whom he has toured nationally and internationally over the last 19 years. Pertout has produced albums, and is the author of Sight Reading: The Rhythm Book published internationally by Mel Bay. He is a senior lecturer in music at the Faculty of VCA and MCM, University of Melbourne. [6]

Nilusha Dassenaike

Nilusha Dassenaike was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and moved with her family to Melbourne at the age of five months. She studied Fine Art and Music at the Victorian College of the Arts and received an MPhil in Music at the Australian National University.

Dassenaike has performed across many genres, and has collaborated with artists such as Don Burrows, James Morrison, and Renee Geyer. Dassenaike has worked on television shows such as Australia's Got Talent and Singing Bee. She was featured in the theme song for the series Canal Road. [7]

Since 2021, Dassenaike has performed and toured with Tina Arena, and opened for Billy Joel at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 10, 2022. [8]

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

  1. 1 2 Gettler, AuthorLeon (23 September 2014). "Album review: Tales To Tell (Alex Pertout and Nilusha Dassenaike) by Leon Gettler". AustralianJazz.net. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Nilusha Dassenaike". Backstage.com. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  3. ↑ junocreative (15 May 2015). "ALEX & NILUSHA WIN CUBADSICO MUSIC AWARD". Melbourne Guitar Show. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 AustralianMusician (23 September 2014). "ALEX & NILUSHA - TALE TELLERS". Australian Musician Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "ChartMetric". app.chartmetric.com. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Morgan, Sean (2 October 2020). "Two-minute interview: Alex Pertout, percussionist". Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "Nilusha Dassenaike". Backstage.com. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  8. ↑ https://fortemagazine.com.au/tina-arena-announced-as-special-guest-for-billy-joel-mcg-performance/
  9. ↑ Zuel, Bernard (30 March 2012). "Over the borderline". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  10. ↑ "Alex and Nilusha- Afterglow". ABC Radio National. 28 August 2016.
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