Minesh steps out with “Summer”
Minesh Dissanayake is an upcoming musician who is slowly making a name for himself in the industry. Over the past two years he made the move from playing in a band to developing his repertoire as a solo artist. Though the process was a challenging one, it’s still been a rewarding experience. His first EP titled ‘Summer’, will be released on October 2019. It will features five tracks, two of which have already been released. These are ‘Summer’ and ‘How to feel.’
He got his start at the St Cecelia’s choir of St Joseph’s College. Thereon, he started taking music more seriously. His career took off soon after he auditioned for TNL Onstage back in 2014. While he fell short of the coveted title, the youngster returned back in 2015, this time as a member of ‘Cosmogyral’ which took home the prize.
Minesh doing what he loves best. Pic courtesy Minesh Dissanayake
Music to Minesh has always been therapeutic. He’d find stories in the melodies and was never afraid of expressing that raw emotion in a song. We talk more about ‘Summer’ to which he says it does not fall into a specific genre . Rather, it revolves around his own experiences and that of some of his close friends. Most of it occurred in the past year and feature a mixed bag of emotions.
Minesh has always been a bit of an introvert. And the only way he felt comfortable expressing himself, was through his music. He enjoys that aspect of performing in front of an audience. Growing up, he was always the shy kid but this changed every time he got up on stage, where he felt at home. “Singing your own music to live audiences is one of the best feelings you’ll ever have as a musician,” he says.
Quite unconventionally, when it came to the work on his EP, Minesh decided to record it himself. “In no way have I got any qualification as a producer or engineer, or will I name myself that. But I’m learning on the fly,” he is quick to tell us . Thanks to some tips from his close friends, the process has been easier and more exciting, he adds.
Minesh has also released a compilation of numerous cover songs on several streaming services. These include tracks which he had previously uploaded on his YouTube channel. “I pick the ones that are most popular and some of these tracks have been from requests on Instagram,” he explains. He is thankful to everyone who supported him on these platforms.
Our conversation gets a little more serious as we dive into what the industry has been like for Minesh, after the Easter Sunday attacks. As a professional musician, he also performs at the Colombo Kingsbury on Wednesday evenings, and W15, Weligama for Sunday brunch.
As he puts it, the whole entertainment industry took a major hit following the bombs. Gigs were scarce and many events were also cancelled. But, Minesh remains hopeful as things are slowly, but surely getting back to normal.
“I see so many people having events that bring people together and indicating that Colombo has recovered and is still a buzzing city,” he recalls, adding that it’s been refreshing to see the crowds turn up in their numbers.
On this note, Minesh also looks to give his fans an escape and hope they find comfort through his music. He firmly believes that bringing some sort of joy and comfort to people, is a blessing. “After all that’s happened, this is what brings me to perform, week in week out,” he says.
As we close, Minesh also had a message for his fellow musicians. He believes that “now more than ever, we need to support each other. So share each others music, show them your support at gigs, appreciate their art, that’s the best advice I can give.”
For more updates and information follow Minesh on
Instagram- https://www.instagram. com/mineshd/
YouTube- https://www.youtube. com/mineshdissanayake
Facebook- https://www.facebook. com/minesh.sd/
SoundCloud- https://soundcloud. com/minesh_sd/