She’s got music in her DNA
Hirushi in the video of her latest single
Making her debut in 2018, up and coming singer Hirushi who grew up surrounded by music thanks to her parents, is excited about her latest solo single
On her way to becoming a household name in the Sri Lankan music industry, Hirushi Jayasena’s career, one can safely say, is on the right track. Sayane, her solo single was released this Friday, and Hirushi is full of excitement and anticipation, waiting to see how audiences will react to the song.
Although she made her debut only in 2018, Hirushi has been a musical enthusiast since she was six years old. Her father, despite a busy professional life as a consultant surgeon has also been a lyric writer for almost all veterans of the industry back in the day and her mother, even though she didn’t sing professionally has a lovely voice. Quite naturally, music has been in Hirushi’s DNA.
“ I would like to think that because of them, I was very passionate about music. I grew up watching my father supervise artists, work in a creative process and in studios, so I was always pretty much in front of a mic,” she laughs adding that in school, Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo, she took part in all the extracurricular activities and competitions that involved music, dancing and the performing arts, being an accomplished pianist and violinist too.
Hirushi went on to pursue her higher education in the United States in medical studies and psychology, graduating from the University of Central Florida. However she says she always felt more in tune with the creative side of her brain and decided she needed to do something with music.
Her big break came in 2016 when she came back to Sri Lanka on vacation and recorded a song for the film ‘Maya’ – Heenen Awidinna.
She moved back to Sri Lanka in 2017 and began reading for her Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David while simultaneously working on her debut solo ‘Hanguman’ with Pasan Liyanage and lyricist Malini Liyanage.
Her debut solo release in 2018 was a success, hitting the Top 20 on Sri Lanka, Youtube Top 20 and making it to the Top 10 on the BBC Asian Network. This was followed by other releases that have either trended or been ‘Track of the week’: ‘Kathirina – Iraj ft. Hirushi & Malindu’, ‘Horu – Ranidu ft. Hirush & Killer B’, ‘Kirula – Hirushi ft. Bachi’and ‘Roo Sara – Bathiya and Santhush ft. Hirushi’.
Wanting to lend a helping hand and raise funds for the Tri-forces who have been combating the spread of COVID-19, she also collaborated on the songs ‘Viruwan Obai’ and ‘Diriya’.
It’s been both exciting and challenging, making her way in the music industry. “I never anticipated becoming a popular artist overnight,” Hirushi says.
Pursuing a creative career was a big experiment initally, she says. “When you’re really young, not just as an artist but as a person, you’re very volatile and it’s a period where you kind of discover who you are, what your interests are, what you want to be, and what type of personality you have.
From doing pop, classical, rap and and even Hindi music genres, she was and is still trying to figure out who she is. Her work so far doesn’t “100% translate to who I am”, she admits candidly. However she does believe her music style and persona is very vibrant and aiming to reach a community beyond Sri Lanka, she plans to target global cultural elements while incorporating Sri Lankan values.
So what about Sayane, her new solo single? “It’s my very first Sinhala composition and melody which means a lot to me,” she says. “I also feel that it’s definitely a new step in terms of the visual factor, different from how my fans generally perceive me- maybe this could create a new visual style in the industry that captures, empowers, and appreciates the beauty and talent in women,” she says.
She could never be where she is right now if not for her understanding parents, Ranil and Madhani Jayasena, she says. Her latest single was possible thanks to the collaboration with Pasan Liyanage and Redfox Studios for the music production; Raffealla Fernando and Heshan De Silva for designing and styling; Hasinth Pathirana and Offroad Pictures for their video direction; and Yashodha Adikari for lyrics.
Check out Hirushi’s latest single on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon. Keep up with her work on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-zWK3-JuUXBSNBYgOn_79Q, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hirushiofficial, Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/hirushiofficial and her website: https://hirushi.com/