Dilan Gautamadasa is a lyricist, about to embark on a long journey into the field of music. Many in the field know him as Gautam.
He has composed 38 songs so far and his 39th song (Hate) will be released soon.
This is a brief conversation about his art life.
“I studied at Sri SumangalaMahaVidyalaya, Panadura. I live in Pothupitiya,Wadduwa. I have loved writing since I was in school. I remember going to divisional and district level poetry competitions since I was about six. That's why I wanted to write.
“I have never studied music. However, I did art as an aesthetic subject. I also sat for the GCE Advanced Level examination in Commerce. No one in my family is involved in this field. But I had an insatiable passion for music. I wanted to combine that desire with my writing ability to do something.”
As he describes himself, his passion for music, and his desire to do something about it, laid the foundation for his success.
“I wrote my first song in 2014. Because of my desire to write, I told my parents that I would somehow compose lyrics. The song was sung by Sumith Caldera. After the song was recorded, my passion for music grew.
Limited to words
Unfortunately, I had to listen to the song alone for about a year. No one helped popularize or socialize the song. People in the field said they would help, but they were limited to words.
It was my brother SandunPerera who helped me to promote the song. YouTube was not so popular at that time. As the song became more and more popular, I continued to write songs."
In the midst of that dream, he took a new step as a producer.
“In 2015, I teamed up with Shenuka Peiris to make a music track called 'Shrungari’. We sent it to Rahal, he liked the song. Even though I had written about 20 songs at that time, it was from that song that many identified the lyricist Dilan Gautama.”
“The song started to be heard frequently on YouTube trending and FM channels. At that time I had started a production house called D Productions. The songs I write are produced by that company. Like the song 'Shrungari', the songs I wrote like 'Miyadenamohothakewi’, ‘Mage nowanamathudaka’, ‘Dukadannenam’, ‘Himikariye’, 'ChatuDapuAdare' and 'Mage SuduAmma' became popular.
“Among them, the song 'DukaDanne Nam' is sung by singer Ginger. Of all the songs I've ever written, that one was the most special for me and for Ginger. It's a love song with slow music. Ginger once said it was a song that changed her.”
Suffered
Dylan's face lit up with laughter when he was asked if his experience was often the basis for his lyrics... “I do not mix personal experiences and lyrics.
“So far I have written lyrics on various topics. I too have suffered a lot in love. But now I am enjoying a beautiful relationship and doing music work.”
His journey had only just begun. He has a long way to go, but he's stepping into that distance as he joins other aspirants willing to enter the field.
“As an apprentice, I suffered a lot to be stable in the field. Very few people helped me. That’s why I like to give newcomers a chance. Only five of my songs have been given to popular singers.
“Everything else was sung by amateur singers. I started the production of ‘One Pro’ for beginners. It reveals the creations of new lyricists.
“There is a lot of competition in the music industry today. A newcomer definitely needs financial strength to move up. The so-called music companies that have destroyed music today have no place for the poor artists from rural areas. My success is because of my parents. I thank the media and all those who have helped me along the way.
“I studied the Russian language in high school. At present I teach the Russian language to tour guides. I have a great desire to combine Russian and Sinhala to make a song. That song is going to be a special one for me. I hope to write the lyrics and join in the singing. The song will be produced soon,” he concluded.