Crafting his own sound
Pic courtesy Lakshane
Lakshane Foneska 21 who took the stage at TNL Onstage with his band MASH and emerged finalists is still where he left off – playing and making music. These days the young musician lives in Australia where he moved to at the age of 18.
Moving allowed Lakshane to expose his musically curious mind to the diverse culture and has continued to influence his craft. Initially having drifted towards the acoustic/indie rock vibe he admits that his love for R&B has influenced his recent work. Having learnt to produce music he is in the process of releasing his first EP. He has released three originals so far, and two of them from his debut EP called ‘The Ground Up’ which will be out this year.
Lakshane who can be heard through his channel on YouTube has done quite a few covers, his recent cover of ‘Turn me On’ by Kevin Lyttle got signed to be out on sale in the USA. He is also looking to open for a big artist in Melbourne and release more content this year.
Lakshane’s love for music he says during an email interview stemmed from his love for playing drums. He began teaching himself to play at the age of 11 and still recalls pestering his father for a drum kit. However, his love for the guitar came subsequently at the age of 13 while teaching himself through tutorials he watched online.
At TNL Onstage in 2013, Lakshane and his band won the award for best original song which paved the way to him entering the local English music scene. He says his father was his main inspiration.
“Music means a lot to me. Even if no one listened to my music I would still do it. It’s a calming anti-depressant; a way of expressing words that otherwise can’t be said. It’s my hobby. It’s obvious you can’t make it big on the commercial level in Sri Lanka as an English artist, but there’s scope to make money and find a niche crowd. And from what I’ve seen recently that crowd is growing,” he says.
Opportunities are there in countries like India and Dubai for Sri Lankans, and that’s sometimes better than making it in somewhere like Australia. Making it in the music industry is definitely not easy, especially in Melbourne. The talent here is crazy, and so is the competition. It’s more about standing out from the rest and having an edge over other singers like producing”, he said.
For Lakshane the idea of being able to succeed in this industry, is stay fresh and constantly putting material out. Even though it’s hard with determination and a little effort, you can keep your name going he says. “Inconsistency is your downfall and I’ve struggled with that a bit myself.”