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. 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.
Vernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. During his time he presented some of the most popular radio shows in South Asia, including The Maliban Show, Dial-a-Disc, Holiday Choice, Two For the Money, Take It Or Leave It, Saturday Stars, To Each His Own, Kiddies Corner, and Old Folks at Home. He was well known not only in Sri Lanka, but right across the Indian Sub-Continent from the late 1950s to the 1970s – this was in the heyday of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia.
London Sounds Eastern was one of the most popular ethnic minority radio programs on the BBC. It was presented by Vernon Corea and produced by Keith Yeomans.
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.
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.
Bathiya & Santhush, also known as BNS, are a Sri Lankan pop duo consisting of Bathiya Jayakody and Santhush Weeraman, who met while at the "Mary Anne David School of Vocal Music" in Colombo. They both were born in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They have been one of the most commercially successful music acts in Sri Lanka in the last two decades.
Dharmaratne Brothers was an influential Sri Lankan music group, composed of the brothers Christie, Maxwell, Melroy and Ronald Dharmaratne. They were the first all family Sinhala pop group, and racked up several hits in the late '60s and early '70s.
Kanda Surinduni is a Sri Lankan song composed by Clarence Wijewardena. It was originally performed by the Super Golden Chimes with Wijewardene at vocals in the mid-1970s.
Philip Upali Wijewardene was a Sri Lankan business magnate. Considered one of the best-known entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, Wijewardene had accumulated a net worth of US$50 million by 1983. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka, which had businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics and automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure and aviation. It developed many brands, such as Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved "largely through bravado and wit."
Piyaneni is a classic Sri Lankan pop song composed by the Sri Lankan musician, Clarence Wijewardena. It is a tribute in song to the love of a father. Wijeywardena used the rhythmic pattern of the Bossa nova for 'Piyaneni'.
Mariazelle Goonetilleke is a Sri Lankan singer and musician.
Sunday Observer is a weekly English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka, published on Sundays. The Sunday Observer and its sister newspapers the Daily News, Dinamina, Silumina and Thinakaran are published by Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, a government-owned corporation. The paper, which was established in the present-day format in 1928, has roots that date back to 1834 when Sri Lanka was under the British rule. It is the oldest Sri Lankan newspaper in circulation apart from the Government Gazette. The current Editor is Dharisha Bastians.
Rukshan Perera, is a Sri Lankan-born singer-songwriter, record producer, international recording, television star, and a multi-instrumentalist.
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.
Anoma Wijewardene is a Sri Lankan contemporary artist. Wijewardene's paintings and installations reflect themes of sustainability, diversity and peace. She has held exhibitions around the world, including Venice, London, Sydney, Dubai, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Maldives and Colombo.
Indrani Perera, is a Sri Lankan singer and playback singer. Indrani along with Clarence Wijewardena and Annesley Malewana are known as "The Original Sinhala Pop Trio".
