Could Billy Fernando be Sri Lanka’s answer to Shakira? Of course, his choice of sport is cricket, but Billy hopes that his new track Jaya Niyathai Sri Lanka will inspire both fans and players as Sri Lanka makes another play for the World Cup.
The patriotic track features the beautiful voice Devashrie De Silva in counterpoint to Billy and was mixed and produced by Ranil Goonawardene and Shamin De Silva.
The video – featuring a montage of Sri Lankan cricketers doing what they do best – is up on youtube. It was made by Shan Alwis. In a press release, the singer described Jaya Niyathai Sri Lanka as a rallying call that would unite all Sri Lankan cricket lovers, adding that in deftly blending together eastern percussion, sweeping strings, and soaring vocals, the song succeeded in being absolutely inspirational, “stirring the soul of our cricket-mad nation.”
The lyrics for track were written by the talented Chandana Cooray. Billy, who composed the tune for the song says the swell of the music is mirrored by the lyrics, which describe a giant wave of support that connects the entire nation, ultimately unleashing its full power at the stadium in support of the Sri Lankan cricket team.
We last saw Billy with his album ‘Yuwathiya.’ The singer has been immersed in his art for much of his life, and actually began life as a musician at the tender age of seven. Since then he has many firsts to his name, including winning several singing competitions and being distinguished as the youngest member of both the Western Band and Eastern Choir in his alma mater St. Peters (he went on to lead both).
A multi-instrumentalist, Billy has plays the trumpet and the drums among many other instruments. In a career packed with distinctions, he has been on tour with B&S and has even played with members of the A. R. Rahman orchestra. Will his latest track become this year’s biggest sports anthem? We’ll know soon enough. |
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