Nidahasey, the debut song of young and talented singer Dulanjali Ananda will be released on her youtube channel, Dulanjali Ananda Abeykoon soon.
Dulanjali is the daughter of veteran playback singer and music director late Gratien Ananda and the elder sister of Mario Ananda, a young vocalist and music director.
Many songs in the modern context are on the hurt, pain, suffering and worry of losing someone in your life. On the contrary Nidahasey shows a new perspective to overcome hurtful breakups. It talks about the positivity of being independent, letting go and moving on with the valuable life one is blessed with, in happiness, freedom and with peace of mind. The lyrics and the melody of the song is by lyricist and music director Achala Solomons. Dulanjali got the opportunity to work with Solomons at the Channel Eye production team. This friendship was the base of Nidahasey.
The music direction, mixing and mastering is by Mario Ananda. The visual of the song is also scripted and directed by Solomons along with his creative editing in the post production. Cinematographer is Nevinda Jayasena, and make up is by Yogeetha Rathnayake. The audio recording engineer is Gayan C. Bentharage of C-Age Studios.
Dulanjali Ananda is a past pupil of St. Bridget’s Convent. She was a member and later was the leader of the school choir. She learnt to play the guitar from her father as a teenager. She has collaborated with her father in religious musical productions and also has voiced television and radio commercials directed by her father since her school days. She has had the exposure to a variety of music, witnessing the productions by her father and has inherited the various talents of her father and her mother, Srima Chandrani.
Dulanjali was in the corporate sector for over ten years and is known to be a “workaholic” as a young adult. She also serves as a news anchor for the English news at Rupavahini.
Later on she took a different career path deviating from the corporate world, understanding her passion for visual and audio productions. She collaborated with her talented brother under their production house, Mario Ananda Productions, which produces music videos, documentaries, motivational and inspirational content, theme songs for organisations and live musical performances.
Speaking to the Youth Observer about the inspiration behind her becoming a singer, she said, “Ever since my father passed away, I have been asked why I have not done an original song. Their motivation positively influenced me to release a single. This particular song was written by Achala Solomons and he motivated me in the production of this song. The song is especially for those who have been waiting for a single by me. I never intended to become a singer. But I enjoy singing different genres. There are times I sing my heart out where ever I am comfortable.”
Dulanjali has collaborated in musical productions with her father from the age of eight, and since then has been involved particularly in religious musical productions. Later as a teenager she has sung for television and radio commercials directed by her father. She was a chorister of the Bridgeteen choir. She has been singing since she was eight, until she led the choir during her final year. She has performed in live television programs on several occasions and later on in live musical events with her brother Mario.
“Being a professional singer is a blessing. I know this by witnessing my father’s career.
“In the current context the musicindustry of Sri Lanka is not open to all with equality, and the circumstances are sadly much worse than earlier. I would like to be a part time singer,” she said.
Being the daughter of late Gratien Ananda, a famous singer in the country, Dulanjali is reluctant bring up his name to introduce herself. However, in the fields which she has been engaged in, be it corporate, television production industry or as a news anchor, there are times that people have known her for who she is and then later on they learnt that her father was Gratien Ananda.
“I am humbly proud to be called my father’s daughter. I do not have major plans to be in the current music industry of Sri Lanka. I am just stepping in, and I will sing mainly for my pleasure. I think I will be known as my father’s daughter in the music industry for now.
“But it seems to work both ways for me,” she added.
She loves all genres of music and as a child at home she heard her mother sing Hindi songs and her lullabies were Maestro Amaradeva’s songs. She remembers her mother playing melodies like Mindada heesara on the box guitar. She remembers her father singing Kishore Kumar’s songs and they used to play songs of Jim Reeves and Abba, rock and pop at home. Then from Clarence Wijewardane to Milton Mallwarachchi to Indrani Perera and so it goes. “We have heard all sorts of music, and we love all of it equally. My father’s and my brother’s music have been my favourites. My current playlist has all of my brother’s latest music and they keep proving to me the fact that music has healing powers, it’s my therapy, which gives me peace of mind,” she said.
Dulanjali believes in God and trusts that she is led by the guidance of Jesus in every step of her life and she lives to serve the purpose she is entrusted with, which is only to bring glory to the Almighty and she praises Him for the talents and the amazing family she is blessed with. She is grateful to her mother Srima who has made immense sacrifices, her father for the courageous and strong life he lived trusting God and her one and only younger brother Mario. As a child she prayed to God to send her a ‘Malli’. She considers Mario as her guardian angel and inspiration.
Strong, loyal and honest are the three words that she likes to describe herself with.
“In life success would be to live a life with good health, self contentment, possessing the strength to face and go through tough times, being able to let go, and most importantly making an effort to bring light into another’s life and in the process try to bring a positive change into the world in the smallest way one can, while having the strength to live by the values you believe in even if that may alienate you from a majority,” she concluded.