Kompanna Vidiya (කොම්පඤ්ඤ වීදිය) Slave Island ft. Kapila Rasnayaka
Kompanna Vidiya (කොම්පඤ්ඤ වීදිය) Slave Island is Methun SK’s most recent music video which premiered on 9 August starring Kapila Rasnayaka.
The lyrics were penned down by Methun who also did the melody for the song and lent his vocals for the performance. The song, which incorporates a simple sound featuring easy-going lyrics, has gained some popularity amongst the general public, particularly due to the quirky music video starring Kapila Rasnayaka.
The music video in itself stands out for its cinematography courtesy of S.K. Kisal, who shot the entire video using available light. Speaking to Methun, he shared that they did not have a big budget to bring in a lot of equipment and the production alone, much like the song, was somewhat of an overnight production. He said that he must give credit to their Editor Dinuka Solangaarachchi and Thisal Randunu for the music, recording mixing, and mastering.
Methun stated that he is a lyricist and enjoys writing original music. He added that even though people have resonated with the lyrics of this new song and have expressed their takeaway from it, he himself did not intend for it to carry a social message, although there are certain lyrics that have the potential to mirror societal narratives. He shared that he appreciates and greatly enjoys the deeper meanings that the audience has attached to the lyrics themselves.
Best known for the artist collaboration titled “Naadha Gama”, Methun shared that he wrote Kompanna Vidiya back in 2013 even before he collaborated with fellow artists in 2018 for the Naadha Gama project, and he is glad that it is garnering some positive attention now.
Unlike the lyrics, the music video which was conceptualised and performed by Kapila Rasnayaka has a very intentional narration and Kapila broke down his concept to be a political one. He shared that if you are to even have only cursory exposure to the music video, it should not be too difficult to grasp what he wishes to be the takeaway of his performance.
He shared that when Methun first contacted him about coming up with a concept for the music video, he created a clear picture in his mind about what he wanted to say. “Every scene has a meaning in its imagery,” he said, adding that it is quite simply about society and power. “The three major political parties are represented in the video, but it is not meant to be taken so literally; rather, it is to represent those kinds of people who exhibit similar behavioural patterns,” he said.
If you are to take an example from the music video, he further shared that “a man in a blazer in the middle of the street reading a book and a similar ‘gentleman’-type seated behind the pavement barrier” were there to indicate the disconnect of those from a different social and wealth class, who carry out meaningless actions to generate an aura of class and elegance around them, despite them being nonsense actions that are not grounded in reality; despite their wealth and power, they are still prisoners to the capitalist system they so proudly promote.
Kapila shared that his performance is grounded in reality and he made a conscious effort to make it feel as natural a delivery as possible; something that felt stripped down without too many bells and whistles. He wished to give a performance without much fanfare. He believes that while videos such as this would naturally fall under the category of “Indie” or some form of niche, they are telling a story that we all live and breathe and hopefully people are able to grasp and enjoy it.
He also stated that the reason behind his collaboration was due to the concept he was able to create, as he is often known for and wishes to create art that is more wired in human emotion that resonates across boundaries. He has one such piece of work coming out soon, he said; a song and an accompanying music video soon to be released, titled “Kiss Song”, which he promised will be something people can look forward to.
