This just might be more sun than Sheyana Wijesingha has seen all year. Born in London and now based in Tasmania (which she tells me is very cold) Sheyana is a singer/songwriter. Her beautiful voice lends itself to soul searching but her music goes beyond folk and blues into wilder territory – she counts Led Zepplin, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and AC/DC among her influences.
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It’s a lovely morning and we’re meeting Sheyana at the Barefoot Cafe, a few days before she is scheduled to perform there. It’s all rather impromptu since she’s actually here on holiday and it’s the first time she’s ever visited her father’s homeland. She’s also without her usual backup – her bandmates Matt Groom, Scott Mainwaring and Mick Eaves are missing. However, her family has come through and Sheyana will be performing with three of her four children. Lila is 14, Mahlah is 17 and her son Orak is 22 and they’ve all inherited Sheyana’s musical talent. Anil Balasuriya is here too – he’s played a key role in setting up the concert. “With Rockapalooza Productions, the goal has always been to give audiences quality entertainment,” he says, adding that Sheyana fits the bill perfectly.
He describes her as an extremely talented award winning artist and a great live performer. “Her singles Givin’ it up, Two Birds and Undone are examples of her great range and diversity and her Sri Lankan roots make us proud to claim her as one of our own,” he tells me. (Though her concert will be over by the time you read this, you can still catch Sheyana online at Myspace where she’s posted several tracks, including Two Birds, which is probably her best known.) Having penned all these original tracks herself, Sheyana says she’s found inspiration in her life’s experiences.
Her kids have grown up on a diet of Cream and Jimmy Hendrix, and Orak says his mother continues to be his inspiration. This time, with Lila accompanying them, Mahlah and Orak will play covers of bands like Oasis, Tonic and Gnarls Barkley. It’s the trio’s first visit to Sri Lanka as well, and even though Orak looks a little under the weather, they say they’re enjoying themselves very much and have every intention of returning. Certainly, there’s talk of Sheyana herself playing an encore on another visit, but this time with the full backing of her band.
Though she’s an accomplished musician, it’s been tough breaking into the scene back in Australia. Sheyana can only make her music part time, and says she’s been her own manager from day 1. “At least, it would be nice to have someone to make all those calls for you,” she tells me, laughing. She’s stuck it out though, promoting herself and her band with some success. They now have two albums to their credit. Her first album ‘Firehorse’ was released in 2003 and her second, ‘Sweet Honesty’ in 2010. She’s also been called in to support some of Australia’s best known musicians, including Renee Geyer, Diesel, The Angels, Ian Moss and Bill Chambers.
They’ve also been lucky in their choice of collaborators, with several musicians coming forward to help them record their albums. But it’s the live performances that Sheyana seems to enjoy most – the give and take with her bandmates and that electric connection with her audience. All in all, Sheyana seems like exactly the kind of musician that Anil would like us to see more of. “Rockapalooza Productions have great things planned for 2012 including its own record label and music channel but really at the heart of it, this is what it’s all about, raw talent and a stage for it to be showcased on,” he says.
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