TV Times

TV Times

‘Diviya Pura’: Ranidu’s first solo album
After the stunning success of his debut album with Ashanthi - Oba Magemai - which produced a No1 hit in Sri Lanka and also received airplay on the BBC’s Radio 1, Ranidu Lankage is back again to take the Sri Lankan music industry by storm with his first solo album ‘Diviya Pura’.

Combining concepts from the east and west Diviya Pura is a rich and exciting blend of R&B, Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, Dance, Soulful ballads and traditional Sri Lankan sounds. Diviya Pura carries forward Ranidu’s vision of creating music, which transcends the barriers of class and culture. The album is inspirational in that it introduces a youthful sound that is intergenerational in its appeal.

With his music, Ranidu hopes to create a portal that transmits Sri Lankan youth culture to the rest of the world. His work is an embodiment of the Sri Lankan youth identity converging with global trends in music in the 21st century. Diviya Pura is a catalyst in the revolution evident in the music industry today and a path breaker in the future of youth music in Sri Lanka.

The CD contains 12 Sinhala and English tracks all composed by Ranidu including a Rap track which features the BBC’s top Asian DJ, DJ Nihal and also a remix by Sri Lanka’s most popular Hip Hop and R&B producer Iraj Weeraratne. The lyrics of the album were written by a star-studded line up of writers including Bandula Nanaykkarawasam, Vasantha Dukgannarala, Kalum Shreemal, Nilar Cassim, Chanaka Jayasekera and Thanuja Jayawardene of Rasa Risi Gee fame.

Ranidu handled all lead vocals and Devashrie de Silva performed all backup vocals. Yohan Rajapakse and Ranga Dasanayake were the Co- producers for the album, which was mixed at the Hit Factory studio by Ranga Dasanayake.

Currently pursuing a degree in Economics at Yale University in U.S.A., Ranidu is one of the pioneers in the youth music industry of Sri Lanka. After learning basic programming skills under Dilup Gabadamuldalige, Ranidu composed Bathiya and Santhush’s smash hit ‘Manusathkule’ in the year 2000.

He directed and composed music for the opening ceremony of the Asian Athletic Championships 2002. He was also a member of the Winning team at the ‘2001 Azia Dauzi’ Music festival in Kazakhstan.

Following these notable achievements, Ranidu together with Ashanthi released his first album ‘Oba Magemai’ that took the Sri Lankan music industry by storm in January of 2003. With this Ranidu became part of the youngest duo to be signed by an international record label, namely, Sony music. Oba Magemai went onto top the Sri Lankan pop charts for a total of 12 weeks and received rave reviews from critics and music lovers alike.

The track Oba Magemai received airplay on the BBC’s Radio 1 in England and also in Australia. Ranidu’s achievements are not only confined to the music field. He was placed 4th in the Island and 3rd in the Colombo district at the G.C.E. A/L examination in 2000. He also achieved 9 Distinctions at the G.C.E. O/L 1997. In light of this he was awarded the Royal Scholar Award by Royal College.

Ranidu has excelled not only in studies but in sports too. He represented Sri Lanka at the Asian Junior Squash Championships 1999 and was Royal College squash captain and Third year colours man. He also represented Royal College in Cricket, Swimming and Rugby at various age levels. His all round achievements in studies, sports and arts contributed towards his selection to Yale, one of America’s elite universities.

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