Starting off as a Youtube artiste Yohani de Silva has come a long way in a few years. She has a natural talent for rapping. She sings, raps, plays the guitar, ukulele, piano, trumpet and the French horn. Having completed her education in Australia, Yohani is back home to pursue her career in music.
Youth Observer had a chat with her to find out about her goals, plans and future projects.
Q: You are qualified in accounting. Is this a backup in case your music doesn’t pan out the way you want it to?
I was very sure of the field in education I wanted to pursue. However, I continued my Youtube channel during my masters. As it got visibility, I realised I could make something out of my music. So, I made the decision to come back home to pursue my music.
I will never regret my education. It is very important to me even now, to manage my finances and generally to carry on with day to day life. However, I am sure music is what I want to do and there is no going back.
Q: Do you consider music to be your profession?
I wouldn’t say I am a professional, but I will continue doing music.
Q: What do you want to achieve from your music?
I must make it clear that it’s not a sudden decision to drop everything and do music. It was a gradual process for me. There was a lot of voice training, gigs, tireless nights writing songs, meetings and now I am here. My dream is to reach the international platform and I am slowly working towards it.
Q: What were the highlights of the past two years ?
The biggest highlight for me was making that decision to move into music and face all the challenges that come with it. I met some amazingly talented persons in Australia such as ‘Nadika and Nadika’. I did a concert with them which was a new experience for me. I attended studio sessions and trained with them, an eye opener for me.
Q: What are you up to now, in terms of your music?
I am currently working with Pettah Effect, we will be carrying out a live concert soon. I am also working on a few singles and a collection of songs for an album, launch concert and a touring concert scheduled for 2020.
Q: Who is your favourite musician/artiste/band?
Avenge Sevenfold and Porishead. Avenge Sevenfold is a rock band and I have been listening to them since I was a child. They will always be my favourite band. Porishead plays Tri pop. Its music is emotional and I absolutely love it.
Q:Is there an artiste that inspires you to do what you do?
In terms of pop artistes, I really like Rihanna’s style and her music and in terms of rap I love Eminem and J Cole.
Q: If you could collaborate with any artiste in Sri Lanka, who would it be and why?
I would love to collaborate with Drill Team, Ridma and Umariya who are amazingly talented and dedicated artistes. I would love to share my talents with them.
Q: What advice would you give yourself ?
I would tell myself not to focus on negative comments and not listen to anyone when making a decision.
Q: What are the challenges of being a musician in Sri Lanka?
The biggest challenge is the lack of producers. If you look at the international setting there is curricula dedicated to music education. Here there is no such thing. Even if there are educated individuals there is not much they can do due to the lack options.
There are also the cultural aspects. Most people don’t consider music to be a viable career option in Sri Lanka.
However I have to say that it is an exciting time to be in the music industry thanks to young talents like Ridma, Charitha and Ravi J.
Q: Have you had moments when you wanted to give up music?
I wouldn’t say give up, but there certainly have been moments when I’ve questioned myself. The only thing that motivates me then is to remember why I am doing music and what I want to achieve.
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Your tips for reaching dreams and goals:
1. Set goals for yourself and work towards them
2. Dedicate yourself to learn everything about the field you are interested in
3. Practice with commitment
4. Be resilient because good things take time
5. Be independent
