- Yohani on the runaway success of Manike Mage Hithe
The internet is a wonderful thing. While it’s not really a physical entity, we can experience it, and the things we can experience on the internet are truly mind-blowing. And a lot of the time, our minds are blown away in a positive way.
Sri Lanka’s internet was taken by storm last week by a unique piece of content that featured the vocal stylings of Sri Lankan rapper Yohani. Posted by the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, this piece of (highly consumed content) was a mashup of Yohani’s cover of the Sinhala song “Manike Mage Hithe” with footage of Bachchan dancing from his 1981 Bollywood film Kaalia. Put together by his granddaughter, Naavya Naveli, Bachchan first shared the video on his Twitter, saying: “Incredible Sri Lankan song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ .. and edited here to my KAALIA song by the genius in the house, granddaughter NAVYA NAVELI .. But honestly Manike .. playing in a loop the whole night.. impossible to stop listening to it .. SUPERB. (sic)”
Now, this broke the internet for a variety of reasons; for one, the star power of Bachchan and his recognition of a Sri Lankan song and artist is very thrilling. For another, it shows just what Sri Lankan talent can do, and how it can compete in any market. It also drew attention to Manike Mage Hithe as a stunning piece of music. Not that it needed the extra attention.
First composed by Sri Lankan music producer Chamath Sangeeth in 2020 during the first lockdown, Mankike Mage Hithe was originally performed by Sri Lankan singers Satheeshan Rathnayaka and Dulan ARX. After listening to the song, Yohani ended up creating an official cover of Manike Mage Hithe, creating the version of the song that has gone on to garner such popularity.
Released by Yohani in May 2021, Manika Mage Hithe was an instant internet sensation, and within three months of its release, had received over one million streams on Spotify, trending in Kerala on YouTube and on Spotify India, as well as in the Maldives. And this was before Bachchan’s stellar shout-out. As of now, the song is officially viral in every sense, having just surpassed 50 million views on YouTube, and has become a hit worldwide, especially in India, a market that is notoriously difficult for young musicians to break into. Its popularity in India has led to the Sinhala song being dubbed into Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam for Indian fans to understand the song better. A multi-faceted musician and performer, Yohani is a singer, songwriter, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist (she plays the piano, guitar, trumpet, and ukulele). While known as a rapper, her musical style is varied, as she experiments between rhythm and blues, hip hop, and alternative genres to great success locally.
Yohani began her music career as a YouTuber in 2016, gaining recognition for her rap cover of Deviyange Bare and going on to release many more rap covers. Discovered and represented by Sri Lankan record label Pettah Effect, she has collaborated with many artists and platforms, and working out of her home studio in 2020, released her debut single Aaye – a song about how she came into the music industry.
Against the backdrop of all this hubbub, Brunch reached out to Yohani herself for her take on the last two weeks.
Tell us a little bit about the history of Manike Mage Hithe and why you chose to cover it. What does the song mean to you?
It’s quite interesting really. I’ve always been a fan of Chamath Sangeeth’s music and was lucky to have him produce an original of mine called Sitha Dawuna, which I released last year.
When I first heard the song Manike Mage Hithe, which was originally sung by Satheeshan and Dulan ARX, who’s also the lyricist, I just fell in love with it. That’s when I decided to do a TikTok on it, with just my vocals and a piano. Chamath saw this one-minute clip on TikTok and immediately called me and asked whether I would like to do the full version. And here we are!
I really didn’t think much of it at that point, but it’s certainly a big part of my career now.
Manike Mage Hithe has got one million streams on Spotify. How did this happen? And how does it feel to have a piece of your music streamed to this extent on a global music platform?
It’s honestly humbling to see how viral this cover has become. It’s almost at four million streams now. All credit goes to my team at Pettah Effect and the man behind the scenes of my entire journey. It’s been a crazy ride so far and I wouldn’t be here without their backing.
On the Amitabh Bachchan shout out – did you know about it before? How does it feel knowing Amitabh Bachchan has recognised your work and made his own content with it?
It’s a funny story. I was fast asleep when my manager woke me up to tell me this, but me being me, I went back to sleep without even realising the impact of what just happened. So eventually, when I woke up the next day, my notifications had gone through the roof and my first reaction was: “Wait! Are my nudes out?” Because the last time I got this many messages was when there was a rumour that my nudes were out.
It took me a while to comprehend what was happening and it’s still sinking in. But I’m really grateful for that brilliant video.
Manike Mage Hithe got over 50 million views on YouTube. How does that make you feel?
I’m just so thankful to each viewer; not just for this song, but for all the views my songs have across my channels. It’s been overwhelming and humbling…Mad love!
You’re also a rapper, and Manike Mage Hithe is very different in terms of style. How do you balance working on different styles of music?
I’ve always worked across different genres. I love exploring and getting into new genres and also listening to music in various languages. It was never my intention to get stuck into one style of music. So if I like a piece of music, I take that inspiration and try to make a song out of it.
What’s it like being a Sri Lankan female rapper in terms of the Sri Lankan music scene and audience? What would you say to other creators looking for their content to be picked up internationally?
As with any industry, there are challenges to being a female rapper in Sri Lanka. Luckily, I have had Pettah Effect backing me up every step of the way. I don’t have an equation on how to tap into international audiences, because I’ve tried so many different things and I won’t stop trying. I just focus on enjoying the process, being consistent, and not paying attention to the naysayers. Believing in myself keeps taking me forward.
