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A
new rapper on the music horizon Krishan, will ever be known as the first Tamil rap artiste in Sri Lanka. "I would like to be distinct from the rest of the rappers and thought of giving an opportunity for my language. Then I chose to be the, I guess, the first Tamil rapper in Sri Lanka. This opened lot of avenues, not only in the medium in which I am rapping, but also because my songs are popular among the English radio stations as well" says Krishan. Krishan had been a rapper in his early years, even in class. But before Krishan became absorbed by the rhythm of the music which transformed him to a new person, he says that he was a very shy person. "I was very quiet, reserved person type of person and talked little. This is what I was before I found who I am, before I really found the person in me" reflects Krishan. Things started fall in to the right direction for Krishan when he was fifteen. He was influenced by his brother Gajan, who is also into music. Krishan proposed his brother to start their own band. Gajan was inspired by the idea and this led to the birth of 'Urban Sound'. Yes, Krishan and Gajan are the two gears of the Urban Sound. During 2001, Urban Sound created music video for the YATV which called upon everyone to stop the spread of AIDs, won the Best TV campaign at the Asian Institute of Broadcasting Development Awards. However, Urban Sound couldn't leap further when Gajan left the band to work with Bathiya and Santhush. Inevitably Krishan had moved with Iraj. During that time, Iraj moved out of his band then "Zealots" and started to produce his own solo. Krishan had the chance to be in "Roots", which earned a mass approval from the audience. Another popular song was the "J Town Story", which earned not only the prestige of being the first Tamil rap song of Sri Lanka, but it also touched the controversial topic of war and its consequence on the youth. "It's a story of a young boy who loses his mother and everything that belongs to him. It's a story of a young life turned to misery as a result of being born in Jaffna. As this boy couldn't live in Jaffna any more, he comes to Colombo. Yet his dream of a new life shatters when he's unemployed and as a result he becomes sick of his life. It draws the controversial picture of what was inside the struggle of being a youth from Jaffna" says Krishan. Krishan added that when the J Town Story was relayed on air, many responded positively, but admits that it’s one sided story. "That song tells the story from the perspective of the Tamils. But it does not offend the Sinhalese. It's a song for Peace. It was broadcast in all three languages" says Krishan, adding "Tamil is a lovely language. I see no reason why it should be suppressed. People of diverse backgrounds should respect different languages as a whole." Apart from the four songs with Iraj, Krishan thought of doing his own album. He says, "Asian Avenue", speaks on several topics, such as war, motherhood, love, crushes, drugs etc etc. And some of the songs in the track list includes, "Thola", "Kadal Kadidham" , 'Kondatam", “J Town Story and many more. With the release of the "Asian Avenue", Krishan created the corner stone for Tamil rappers in Sri Lanka and encourages the budding Tamil rappers to play their own style. Speaking about continuous themes on war and its impact on his songs, Krishan says, "Sri Lankans an had been involved in the ethnic conflict for nearly two decades. Most of us have gone through bad experiences resulting from the conflict. And I wanted the next generation to be informed of the pain and the agitation of the war through my music and songs". Apart
from the world of music, Krishan says he loves rowing, but admits
that he doesn't spend much time on it now as he’s now in UK
studying for his MBA. |
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