The music of Sri Lanka has its roots in five primary influences: ancient folk rituals, Hindu religious traditions, Buddhist religious traditions, the legacy of European colonisation, and the commercial and historical influence of nearby Indian culture—specifically, Kollywood cinema and Bollywood cinema.
Baila is a form of music, popular in Sri Lanka and among Goan Catholics in India. The genre originated centuries ago among the Portuguese Burghers and Sri Lankan Kaffirs. Baila songs are played during parties and weddings in Sri Lanka, Goa, and Mangalore accompanied by dancing.
Vithana Kuruppu Arachchilage Clarence Arthur Somasinghe Wijewardena JP, known professionally as Clarence Wijewardena, was a Sri Lankan singer, composer and musician. Considered one of the most respected musicians in Sri Lanka, Wijewardena revolutionized Sri Lankan Sinhala Pop Music with the use of the electric guitar in Sinhala music, in the 1960s. Due to his influence on Sinhala pop music, he is often named as the "father of Sri Lankan pop music".
Annesley Malewana is a Sri Lankan musician. Often considered "The Prince of Sinhala Pop", Malewana is well known for being a master of contemporary Baila worked with popular musical bands The Moonstones and Super Golden Chimes.
Nimal Mendis (1934–2015) was a Sri Lankan singer and songwriter, and was one of a handful of Sri Lankan musicians to appear on the BBC television programme Top of the Pops (1968). Mendis was a longstanding member of the Performing Rights Society and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society of Great Britain.
Moratuwa is a large municipality in Sri Lanka, on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the Galle–Colombo main highway, 18 km (11 mi) south of the centre of Colombo. Moratuwa is surrounded on three sides by water, except in the north of the city, by the Indian Ocean on the west, the Lake Bolgoda on the east and the Moratu river on the south. According to the 2012 census, the suburb had a population of 168,280.
Vijaya Corea is a radio and television broadcaster and one of Sri Lanka's most well known media personalities. Corea is a household name in Sri Lanka, synonymous with broadcasting and show business for over four decades, and has often been referred to as Sri Lanka's No. 1 Compere.
Sumanasiri Mallawarachchi Don, popularly known as Milton Mallawarachchi, was a Sri Lankan singer and musician. One of the most respected singers in Sri Lankan music history, Mallawarachchi was a trending act in Sri Lanka for more than a decade, performing nearly a total of 850 songs with over 35 albums. He is also known to be a music composer for most of his songs, a film play-back singer for the silver screen, a talent tabla and sitar player.
Madawala Liyanage Don Sarathchandra Priyadarshi Suriyasena Liyanage, popularly as Priya Suriyasena, is a Sri Lankan singer. Priya first emerged as a talented local singer with the guidance of his father, who was a poet, and then rose to fame overnight when his first four songs were broadcast at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in the 1970's. Since then, he has retained his fame over five decades and produced most popular songs in Sri Lanka such as Atha Ranviman, Mata Wasana, Adaraneeya Neranjana, Ratakin Eha and Sudu Paravi Rena.
Dharmadasa Walpola (1927–1983) was the most prominent Sri Lankan male playback singer of the 1950s and 1960s. Walpola was an accomplished musician adapt at playing the flute, harmonium, violin and tabla.
Mariazelle Goonetilleke is a Sri Lankan singer and musician.
Patrick Tibertius Maximus Denipitiya was a Sri Lankan musician.
Deshamanya Matharage Rita Genevieve Fernando, better known by her stage name Latha Walpola, is a Sri Lankan singer. Her fans refer to her as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka"
Sooriya Records Sinhala: සූරිය is a Sri Lankan record label founded by Gerald and Dulcie Wickremesooriya in 1968.
Gerald Wickremesooriya was the founder of the Sooriya Record label that produced many popular hits from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
Senadheerage Amarasiri Peiris is a Sri Lankan singer. One of the most honored singers of Sri Lanka, Peiris is a well known violinist and a vocalist.
Chathurika Jayamani Peiris is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema and television. She is best known for the roles in television serials Sepalika, Swayanjatha and Hiru Thanivela.
Kala Suri Gnai Seenar Bangsajayah,, popularly known as G. S. B. Rani, was a Sri Lankan actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater as well as a songstress, politician and a media personality. She was one of the most popular playback singers in early Sri Lankan cinema industry with a career spanned over five decades.
Madawela Hewage Paul Fernando, popularly as Paul Fernando, was a Sri Lankan musician and a Baila singer. Often referred to as the "Prince of Baila", Fernando became one of the most popular singers in Sri Lankan western music industry. Also, he is one of the leading artists dedicated to popularizing the art of Baila in Sri Lanka.
Abeywardena Balasuriya , was a Sri Lankan musician, playback singer, writer and a television program producer. An A-grade singer with a career spanned more than three decades, Abeywardena made a vital contribution to the music field of Sri Lanka.