Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Voicing the dream
By Anuradha Samarajiva
“I always had a dream of becoming a pop star,” says 19-year-old Nadine Samarasinghe. That’s the reason why she’s been singing since she was seven, learning to play several different instruments, and practicing her choreography. And now, after all that hard work, she has been selected to take part in the fifteenth annual Voice of Asia contest in Kazakhstan from August 6-9.

The international festival aims to bring together singers, composers, and musicians from all over the world. During the three-day event, the artistes perform songs that combine their traditional culture with more modern musical trends. Artistes from over sixty countries entered, and the competition was narrowed down to just fifteen contestants. Nadine was one of the few to be chosen.

To enter the competition, Nadine sent in three original songs to a panel of three judges. The songs had to have an “ethnic touch,” so hers are a mixture of English and Sinhala, with both modern tunes and Sri Lankan drums. Bathiya (of Bathiya and Santhush fame, who won second place in Kazakhstan in 2001) was her acting producer. According to her manager Piyaka Weerasinghe, “the recording was hectic,” but they managed to send the songs in time. The songs range from fast to slow, and cover different genres – a love song, a gospel, and one about Sri Lankan traditions.

Nadine thinks the most important thing about the competition is that “it’s for the country.” Bathiya and Santhush “opened the door” when they competed, and she hopes for her part, she can be “an inspiration for other people as well.”

Nadine has had many people inspire her, from her favourite singers Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston to her mother and grandmother, who are both music teachers. They’re the ones who encouraged her to focus on singing, so that now she has chosen it as her profession. In the midst of practicing for the competition, which includes working on her choreography with Kanthi Ranchigoda, Nadine is also preparing for her ACTL diploma in singing and organ from Trinity College, London. She ends up having to practice at least two hours a day, but manages to do everything with the support of her teachers Shyama Perera, Ruwani Seimon and Kanthi Ranchigoda.

Many people have helped Nadine, but she thinks that when it comes to music, “there’s something lacking in Sri Lanka. There are so many talented people but no one to bring them out.” Bathiya was one person who really helped her out, and she hopes to do the same for other artistes. She also hopes that with Voice of Asia, her first international competition, she’ll get a contract.

No matter what happens though, she’s “very excited,” now that all those years committed to music are really starting to pay off!

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