Umara Sinhawansa | |
---|---|
උමාරා සිංහවංශ | |
Born | Umara Sinhawansa 14 March 1989 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Nationality | Sri Lankan |
Education | Muslim Ladies’ College, Colombo |
Occupations |
|
Spouse | Risky Fahmi |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Umaria Sinhawansa (sister) Rukmani Devi (great aunt) |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1999–present |
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Umara Sinhawansa (born 14 March 1989), is a Sri Lankan singer, songwriter, producer, and audio engineer. She is known for her contributions to the country's pop, R&B and jazz genres. [1] Sinhawansa gained prominence working with Bathiya and Santhush's musical group, and later transitioned to solo-singing.
Umara Sinhawansa was born into a family of professional musicians, father Tony Sinhawansa and mother Ayesha Sinhawansa, [2] [ failed verification ] who allowed her to be exposed to all genres of music from jazz and hip hop to classic and R&B. She has one sister, (Umaria Sinhawansa), and two brothers. Umara was educated at Muslim Ladies’ College and represented Sri Lanka in three international singing competitions. [3] She and her sister Umaria won third place at the 2011 Crimea Music Fest, competing against singers from all around the world, and won first prize at the All-Island Singing Competition of Sri Lanka. [1] [ failed verification ]
She did her first professional recording at the age of 10 along with her sister Umaria and made her first public performance at the age of 13. Later on Umara teamed up with the popular singing duo Bathiya and Santhush, and was the designated audio engineer when they toured. She has a vocal range of four and a half octaves. [4] Some of her chart toppers are "Wassanayata", "Shaheena", "Sihina Ko" and "Malak Thibuna" with Chithral Somapla and Kasthuri. [4] After her marriage to Risky Fahmi, she moved to Hong Kong, where she mastered the art of jazz under Dylan Lye. During a 6-year stint in Hong Kong, she performed in the Chinese market and established herself as a Sri Lankan vocalist while performing with her band Proteus. After returning from Hong Kong in 2017, Umara launched her academy, Umara Music Studio (UMS) [5] which provides music and vocal training for students of all ages. [1] [6]
On 30 July 2023, Sinhawansa performed for the opening ceremony of the Lanka Premier League cricket tournament held at R. Premadasa Stadium, along with singers Yohani and Chitral Somapala. [7] Sinhawansa came under scrutiny for her rendition of "Sri Lanka Matha", the national anthem of Sri Lanka. Critics accused her of allegedly distorting the lyrics, changing the word "matha" (mother) to "mahatha" (mister). [8] Others criticized her style of singing as operatic and Westernized, deviating too much from the style of the original.
Public opinion was divided on social media. [9] While many heavily criticized Sinhawansa for "tarnishing" the national anthem, [10] others including public figures such as singer Ashanthi De Alwis and Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Chamathka Ratnayake [11] came to her defense. Politicians from the country's Buddha Sasana and Ministry of Public Administration condemned the event as unconstitutional, sighting the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka's protections of the national anthem. [12]
On 31 July 2023, the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government issued a gazette written by ministry secretary Ranjith Asoka, stating that a probe will be launched to investigate the alleged distortion of the national anthem. [13]
On 2 August 2023, Sinhawansa issued an apology on social media, stating, "I love my Motherland. I never intended to distort the words of the national anthem nor cause any sort of misrepresentation. I do understand the sentiments of my people. Therefore, I do extend my heartfelt and sincere apology to anyone that may have been affected/offended by my performance." [14] [15]
Year | Title | Channel | Language | Role |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Derana Dream Star (Season-10) | TV Derana | Sinhala | Judge |
2017 | Youth with Talent | ITN | Sinhala | Judge |
Year | Movie Name | Role | Language | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | U Turn | Playback Singer [16] | Sinhala | Sri Lanka |
The "Sri Lanka Matha" is the national anthem of Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka Matha" was composed by Ananda Samarakoon and was originally titled "Namo Namo Matha".
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.
Sri Lankabhimanya Wannakuwattawaduge Don Albert Perera, better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, was a prominent Sri Lankan Sinhalese vocalist, violinist and composer. Primarily using traditional instruments like sitars, tablas and harmoniums, he incorporated Sinhala folk music with Indian ragas in his work. Many consider his contribution to the development of Sinhala music as unmatched; hence, he is occasionally cited as the "Maestro of Sri Lankan Music".
Anarkali Akarsha is a Sri Lankan film actress, model, and former politician. She was crowned Miss Sri Lanka 2004 and represented Sri Lanka at the Miss World 2004 beauty pageant. She has worked as a brand ambassador & a fundraiser. She attended Colombo International School.
Mariazelle Goonetilleke is a Sri Lankan singer and musician.
Crimea Music Fest is an annual International Music Festival and International Song Contest, which takes place in Yalta. The total prize fund of the contest is USD 200,000. The festival management is located in Kyiv.
Asai Man Piyabanna is a 2007 Sri Lankan Sinhala musical romantic film directed by Udayakantha Warnasuriya and produced by Dhammika Siriwardana for Alankulama Films. It stars Roshan Ranawana and Pooja Umashankar in lead roles along with Sanath Gunathilake and Upeksha Swarnamali. The music is composed by Rohana Weerasinghe.
Sachith Peiris is a Sri Lankan award-winning music director, playback singer and a video director.
Dancing Star is a 2009 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama film directed by Susara Dinal and produced by Sirasa Movies for MTV Network (Pvt) Ltd. It stars popular singer Dushyanth Weeraman and newcomer Shiroshi Romeshika in lead roles along with Sanath Gunathilake and Nilanthi Dias. Music composed by Bathiya and Santhush. It is the 1120th Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.
Rosa Kale (Rose Forest) (Sinhala: රෝස කැලේ) is a 2008 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama mystery film directed by Nishantha Weerasingha and produced by Dhammika Siriwardena for Alankulama Films. It stars Indian actress Monika Maruthiraj and Roshan Ranawana in lead roles along with Sanath Gunathilake and Iranganie Serasinghe. Music co-composed by Rohana Weerasinghe and Bathiya and Santhush. It is the 1106th Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.
Sri Lanka's Got Talent is a Sri Lankan television talent show which started in 2017 and originated from the Got Talent franchise. It is a Stein Studios production and will be aired on Sirasa TV. Contestants of any age, who possess some sort of talent, can audition for the show, with their performance judged by a panel of judges; the current lineup consists of Jackson Anthony, Soundarie David Rodrigo and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Those that make it through the auditions compete against other acts in a series of quarterfinals, and then the semifinals. Three acts are chosen in each quarterfinal by the judge board to move on to the semifinals.
Deepika Priyadarshani Pieris is a Sri Lankan singer. One of the most popular female singers in Sri Lanka, she is the only Sri Lankan vocalist to awarded with Gusi Peace Prize.
Hewa Geeganage Leelawathi, popularly known as Leela Asoka, was a singer from Sri Lanka. She is known for being one of the four singers who sang the Sri Lankan national anthem for the first time during the 1948 Independence Celebrations.
Nuwandhika Senarathne is a Sri Lankan singer and television personality who is most known as a playback singer, as well as a performer of Soprano Opera and Ghazals. She rose to fame as the 1st runner-up of the reality TV show Derana Dream Star Season IX.
Umaria Binthy Ayesha Sinhawansa, popularly referred to by the mononym Umaria, is a Sri Lankan pop, R&B and jazz singer. She is the youngest musician to be ever awarded A-Grade by Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. She has won the 'Kala Keerthi Abhimani' award for her contribution to Sri Lanka's music industry. Umaria began her music career at age 11 in the 2005, performing with her sister at various stages. She made her debut as a playback singer in the film Asai Man Piyabanna. And also she has won silver awards at Pan Asia Music International Music Competition and the Crimea Music Fest international competition.
"Manda Pama", is a 2020 Sinhala song by Sri Lankan Singer Umaria Sinhawansa. It is pop, Arabic, R&B song. It was released as the single on July 3, 2020, through SaReGaMa Music Records. The song was written by Manuranga Wijesekara, alongside its produce Dimithri Fonseka known as DimRaaw. It contains an interpolation of "Secret Love" by Manuranga who is credited as songwriters.
The Voice Teens is a singing reality talent program for teenagers in Sri Lanka. It is a spin-off of John de Mol Jr.'s Dutch reality singing competition The Voice; unlike the adult original, this version is geared toward teenagers and is part of a larger international franchise.
The Voice Sri Lanka is a singing competition reality television program from Sri Lanka, broadcast on Sirasa TV. It premiered on 21 November 2020, and has continued airing with yearly seasons ever since. The series is based on the original Dutch singing competition, The Voice of Holland, created by media tycoon John de Mol Jr., and part of a larger international franchise.
Nim Him Sewwa is a 2020 song by Bathiya and Santhush, Kasun Kalhara, Sashika Nisansala, and Umaria Sinhawansa. The song is a collaboration between the five musical arists, made as a promotion for The Voice Sri Lanka, on which the five artists are the judge panel. It is a cover of Pandit W.D. Amaradeva's 1978 hit song of the same name.