A new era of music in Sri Lanka | Charitha Attalage

Hi all,

The song "Kuweniye" created a kind of entry point to a new music genre in Sri Lankan Music. It was embraced with love from the young generation. When I first listened to it I felt it was different but didn't really like it. But there was so much fuss about it and I wondered why people like it so much. I knew very little about Charitha back then.

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But things began to change drastically as I listened to his song "Heena Maka" sung by Harshadewa who is a soleful singer. I felt so good after listening to it for the first time. As of today, I have listened to over 100 times literally. It is my favorite song by Charitha up to date.

What makes Charitha so unique is his mastery of music. His music does not fall into a single category in fact is a blend of traditional Sri Lankan folk music and modern-aged music. You could hear the Indian classical music mixed with electronica. It deserves its own genre according to me but what Charitha says is Music should not fall into a genre or categorization but it should be a way of communicating to people. He has made around 20 songs up to now and songs like Galana Ganga, Sansaraye, Kuweniye, Radhawani, Rahath Himiwarun, Sakura Male, Sandawathiye are the most popular among fans.

I listen to his music at times when I want to feel motivated or when I have no mood. The beauty of his songs is that you can listen to them despite the mood you are in. When I travel for work on Monday from Galle to Kottawa, I like to get a seat near the window, listen to Charitha's music and brainstorm my feelings. I do this when I bathe as well in the morning. It makes you feel good and good way to get the mind right on track.

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The concert "Kuweni – A Cinematic Musical experience" was a groundbreaking moment for him as the tickets were sold within a matter of few days. I was not lucky enough to experience it but I'm waiting for the next one. According to Charitha, his intentions are to make the concert a way of presenting a story. So each song would have its own story attached to it. He even won Gold Award for the ‘Achievement in Audio-Visual Film’ for WoW Awards Asia along with A.R. Rahuman which explains how good the concert was.

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The fans are waiting eagerly for another set of songs as Charitha has been a bit silent during the last few months. If you are interested in listening to his songs, you could simply check youtube or use a streaming service like Apple Music, Spotify, etc. and if you choose Apple Music checkout my playlist called Sri Lankan Fusion where I have included songs from Charitha and some new artists like Dhanith Sri.

The reason I named this article "A new era of music in Sri Lanka" is that with people starting to love music that is meaningful and with good music with Charitha's introduction it has motivated or nurtured other artists like Dhanith Sri, Tharindu Damsara, Kanchana Anuradhi, Supun Perera, Ridma, Dinesh Gamage etc. in producing beautiful songs replacing the boot songs that were dominating Sri Lankan music. So we are in the best times where songs have a meaning, the music is great, and the audio quality is good with new technology. Let's await some great music!