‘Keep up with the Joneses’: Priya’s endeavour to promote English originals
View(s):Moratuwa musician, Priya Peiris of ‘Cock-A-doodle-doo’ fame, who has done his hometown proud with his out of the box musical ideas, continues to do so in the same vein with innovative thinking. Despite his early day musical exploits such as the composing of the solitary English hit song ‘Cock a doodle doo’ for local group songs of the 70s era (or the ‘period of Kandaayam Geetha’ as popularly known), he insists that music was, and always will be a hobby and very much a part time affair for him and for the La Bambas – of which he was a vibrant founder member.
Brian, Priya, Lincoln, Derek and Melantha during the visual recording of ‘Keep up with the Joneses’
He said he recognises and acknowledge the great talent and potential in our musicians, but is disappointing that many of them are virtually ‘going with the flow’ in the wrong direction.
‘It is sad that many of our popular Western singers that often appear on stage do not perform original English songs to call their own and this is surprising and strange. They always stick to cover versions and our audiences are too happy with what they get, without going for new creations. But my vision is different. If you want to conquer the world stage, English originals are vital. With this effort, I would like to spur and encourage them to attempt western originals to identify themselves as real western singers and reach out internationally’ remarked Priya.
Priya has made use of the past lockdown period to do some creative composing and is readying to put out four English originals for the time being. They have been musically arranged in contrasting country and western and original calypso music styles.
Priya Peiris at the studio
The new song ‘Keep up with the Joneses’, takes the western pop style. Priya had invited four other veteran Moratuwa singers to join him in the vocals. Lincoln De Silva, leader of ‘Super Pink & Purple’, well known guitarist John Derek De Silva, musician Brian Coorey, who earlier performed with many popular bands and Melantha Perera of ‘Mirage’ fame joined Priya in this unique endeavour of a quintet of hometown singers coming together in unison.
This song is about complexed people who try to match up with the rich and famous in high society and spend all they have, in a idiotic show off effort. ‘Keep up with the Joneses’ song was earlier vocalized and completed by Priya, who subsequently thought that the storyline would be more effective and dramatic with additional singers – and hence this combined singing effort.
Another song arranged in Country and Western style is titled ; Local Wetern Singers’ which encourage our singers to concentrate mainly on English originals, instead of local cover versions and urging them to explore and find ways and means to reach out globally, without being stagnant locally.
The other two songs are voiced by Priya himself. They are titled as ‘The bliss of a kiss with the miss you love’, which advises prospective youthful husbands to plan out their future during the courting period. ‘Medical Drink’ is the other, which is the lighthearted story in song about the infamous local pandemic syrup. These two songs have been arranged in the original calypso style with unplugged musical backup, which is very much akin to Priya’s better known style of music with the ‘La Bambas’.
Priya said that these songs are not done for any unnecessary publicity or popularity, but purely for fun-and to ignite many of our popular western artistes to be more creative with English originals.
‘I hope my effort will be an inspirational eye opener to many of our western singing stars’ he added.
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