TV Times
Anushka combines
The intricate emotional process which is very much a sensible process is also automatic when it comes to innately gifted singers such as Anushka Madubashini. Anushka hails from ‘Devata’ a small village close to Galle, a past pupil of Sangamitta Girls College, Galle. She had been handicapped from her young days since her father’s demise, when she was in Grade three. Calamity struck her family as her mother had to bolster the family which included another younger sister against many limitations.
Anushka was however determined to excel in studies and art, accomplishing many milestones in music at school. As a teenager, she won many All -Island awards consecutively in singing from year 2003 to 2008. She possesses a wide vocal range.
The discovery of her innate ability to sing was after her performances in Derana Dream Star season 2, eight years ago. She was a front-runner for the title, however owing to the rampant SMS precedent she was eliminated. It is pertinent to cite that Anushka gathered accolades from specific invites like Vasantha Dukgannarala, Lakshman Wijesekera, Indrani Perera, Annesly Malewena, Bathiya and Santhush etc. The former quipped that Anushka possesses a traditional folk voice, while the latter duo were delighted with her voice and singing style and added that she sings with a lot of soul for the audience to “feel”, which is what a singer should possess.
Anushka won Sri Lanka youth awards in the singing category in 2014 and 2015.
What was haunting Anushka was to pursue a University degree in the arts. Her dream was met, when she was selected to the University of Visual and Performing Arts. After graduation she opted initially for a year to be the music teacher at the Lyceum International School in Galle. However, she considered it as prudent to accept the post of visiting lecturer at the University of Visual and Performing Arts, where she got an opportunity to lecture in the same department, she had studied practical and research music. Her contemporary aspiration on which she is working now is to read for a PhD in Ethnomusicology at an overseas University in USA or Germany. When she achieves this ambition Anushka’s fervent wish would be to impart her vast expertise to Sri Lankan music as the first in Sri Lanka conferred with a PhD in her field.
Owing to her busy schedule in travelling to Colombo from her native humble home in Devata close to Galle, and with her University obligations, during the last few years she has concentrated in working in ‘Derana Dell Studio’ with Mahesh Denipitiya whom she describes as her maestro.
Anushka had toured Melbourne once with the sponsorship of Derana in 2010, and twice in later years all states in Australia with the Mahesh Denepitiya Orchestra, where she was primarily a chorus singer.
The justification of Anushka’s snail’s tempo stance is well illustrated by the reality that Anushka’s first audio song ‘Ridunu then jeevithe bohomai’ which was officially launched last year. The music direction was by Aruna Gunawardena and lyrics by Amila Thenuwara . She won the best music award in State Music Festival for this song in year 2018.
- Sunil Thenabadu in Brisbane