Melantha Perera launches solo career at the Walawwa in Melbourne – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE
Melantha Perera has over the decades cut a niche for himself as a singer, songwriter and a pioneer of acapella in Sri Lankan music.
His achievements don’t end there having been part of some of the best bands in Sri Lanka including Mirage, and his hunger for more, apparently knows no bounds.
An inner lust for exploring further horizons has seen him set up music schools and his current music workshop Riversheen school of music has gained wide acclaim and popularity among budding musicians in the Island of great musical talent.
Hailing from Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, widely acknowledged as the country’s music capital, Melantha is from a family rich in music background, his parents, siblings and children following a God gifted talent.
His brother Rukshan is a case in point being a highly respected musician of Sinhala folk and Pop music and a original member of the late Clarence Wijewardena’s Super Golden Chimes.
Together they are quite a sensation in the Lankan music scene. But their musical paths have differing avenues and they accordingly follow it in their individual pursuits.
Being the indefatigable adventurer, and longing to challenge himself further, he has spent endless time fighting with himself, to prove himself as a soloist, a frightening area only treaded by the greatest.
Inspiration to tread this path would definitely have come from legends such as Desmond Kelly, and the late Arthur Speldewinde and his close confidant and recently deceased Desmond De Silva.
In fact Melantha is in Australia on an invitation to pay homage to Desmond De Silva at a tribute night held in Sydney a fortnight ago together with several other musicians from around the globe.
He took his leap of faith at the Walawwa last Friday in a hastily arranged debut as a soloist. And if the first attempt is anything to go by, a new star is born.
After his remarkable entry in a new chapter of his musical journey, Melantha admitted to being nervous and anxious as to the response he would have in a country such as Australia where the expectations are at a very high level. ” I was worried about the new role and the response from my Melbourne fans, but I managed to keep my emotions under control. Only just” he grinned as he reminisced, the next morning.
He has arrived as a soloist. But a bit of fine tuning in his backing arrangements will iron out any criticism, musical experts predict.
In terms of vocals and interaction, he performed the task at a fantastic level.
It was a night enjoyed by a sold out Walawwa, apart from a delectable smorgasbord dinner put on by the venue.
