By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Building a multifaceted career is no easy feat, but Gayan Gunawardana is on the right path and has already established himself in the music and acting industries. He started out as a musician, releasing his first song in 2008 with a classmate from Royal Institute International School. They released another song the following year as well after which Gayan took a short break to complete his studies and start working.
“I obtained a degree in audio engineering and in 2012, I opened my own recording studio, Nuga Studio,” he said. Nuga is a record label, studio, and music academy, and combines the first two letters of his father’s name and his.
Gayan Gunawardana is Nuwan Gunawardana’s son, and among Gayan’s well-known songs is Kandulinma Gayu, which was originally sung by his father. “My father always told me to make a name for myself in the industry on my own, leaving no room for nepotism,” Gayan said, adding that his father never used his influence to help him and never forced him down any career paths, but supported, motivated, and guided him throughout.
Music
Today, Gayan is a singer, audio engineer, and a part of the band RAWDS. He has released 26 songs, which includes those made for teledramas. His song Yan has 5.1 million views on YouTube, while Oba Wenuwen has four million views.
Speaking about Kandulinma Gayu, Gayan said: “While doing my own song productions, I wanted to remake one of my father’s songs. So I made a different version of it using only the mouth organ and no other instruments. The audio was done in 2015 and this year, I made the music video and uploaded it on my YouTube channel, mainly because my next song is a bigger production and I want to build a fan base on my YouTube channel before that.”
He received a positive response for Kandulinma Gayu, especially on Spotify and iTunes, and Gayan said: “I am happy that I was able to take one of my father’s songs, remake it, and present it in a different way.”
As for his next production, Gayan said he collaborated with different artists for it, and the names will be revealed when the song is released. Belonging to the Afropop genre, Gayan said the audio is already complete and that he plans on releasing the song before December.
He went on to say that there is a difference in the current market; in 2008, people were moving away from CD albums and were mostly downloading music off websites, while many artists catered to the “ring tone” market from 2010 to 2015. Since then, music is mainly produced for streaming platforms and also focuses on the performance aspect.
He added that today, artists need not limit themselves to one genre, which a lot of artists in the country are doing well. Gayan has also produced several songs catering to different audiences. “Since Sri Lanka is a small country, as artists, we can touch several genres. As a rock artist, it’s difficult to cater to a large crowd, since the country doesn’t have a massive audience for rock but has a larger audience for pop. So a Sri Lankan artist who can touch multiple genres can entertain different crowds.”
The band RAWDS was formed with two of his Paara Dige co-stars. The name was suggested by teledrama scriptwriter Saddha Mangala Sooriyabandara, whose son Induwara Sooriyabandara is the RAWDS rhythm guitarist. Sachin Chathuranga is the percussionist, and other members of the band include Reham (bass), Shammika (keyboards), Dashin (vocals), Manuja (lead guitarist), and Sewneth (drums).
Acting
Gayan is also an actor and TV presenter, the latter paving the path to the acting industry when he was introduced to director Shirly P. Delankawala. His first character was in Hithuwakkaraya, where he learned a lot about acting. He then had the opportunity to act in Husmak Tharamata and has worked in teledramas belonging to different genres.
“In future, I will be pickier when choosing characters. So far, I have worked in around 10 teledramas, with different characters, audiences, and genres.” Talking about Paara Dige, Gayan said it has been great working with the crew, especially the scriptwriter, director, and producer, and that he has learned a lot from them.
When the music industry was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was teledramas like Paara Dige and Ahas Maliga that allowed him to develop as an actor, reach an audience, and focus on his acting.
However, now that the music industry is slowly reviving, he plans on reducing his work as an actor in the next two years, to focus more on his work as a musician.
We asked Gayan what he has planned in the coming months, and he said he will be performing with his father in Liverpool, UK at the end of the month and in London in October. Concerts have also been planned in New Zealand, Laos, and Dubai.
“In Sri Lanka, my father and I did a concert called ‘Thaththai, Puthai’, which was a tribute to my father’s 50-year career in this industry. We last did it in 2018, but this month we are organising a concert in Anuradhapura, another in December, and then next year as well.”
He went on to say: “I have been very fortunate that things in life have come my way at the right time.” He was thankful for his school as it taught him to be humble. Gayan said he also looks beyond the local context and thinks about the global context, which is why he has developed several talents.
Timing in his career has also been ideal, with his singing and higher education in audio engineering developing his knowledge of music, instruments, recording, and so on, which in turn has helped with performing at concerts, forming a band and producing music.
“TV presenting took away my fear of the camera and now I can face any camera or mic,” Gayan said, adding that his work in teledramas has taught him about expressing emotions and feelings, continuity, and other performance-related components.
“One thing I learned with all this is business. To survive in Sri Lanka and in the world, we need business, and I gained experience in business, investments, planning, and so on,” he said, adding that this has paved the way to becoming a multi-talented entertainer.