In a foreign land, on a darkened stage, a spotlight focuses on a tall, handsome young man crooning a love song. His golden notes hold the audience spellbound. He is none other than Sri Lankan singing sensation - Gayan Gunawardene.
The song ends with a crashing, thunderous applause reverberating around the auditorium. Gayan takes the great ovation in his stride for resounding appreciation is the usual norm for him, both at home and abroad.
Gayan was born into a world of music and music is woven into the very fiber of his being. His father is none other than iconic Sri Lankan playback singer, Nuwan Gunawardene with hundreds of songs to his credit. But what is remarkable and admirable is that Nuwan Gunawardene never used his position or influence to bring his son to the top in the Sri Lankan music scene. He only guided and mentored him.
It is Gayan’s multi-talents and tireless efforts that has brought him the recognition he so richly deserves.
Though his home was filled with music, Gayan’s formal introduction to music took place at the age of eight when he was enrolled with Christine Weerasinghe for piano lessons. He successfully completed the IWMS exams. Later, he mastered the intricacies of the guitar and trumpet under the tutelage of Hemalal Geethadeva.
At his school, Royal Institute, Colombo, Gayan discovered the delights of Western music. He was a member of the Western music band and played the trumpet and also was the lead singer.
‘Next Gen’ was a Royal Institute talent search and Gayan and his friends stole the limelight by emerging winners. This was Gayan’s first public performance.
After he finished schooling there was no doubt in his mind that it was in the world of arts that he wanted to make his mark. He says that his objective is “to work as a performer and entertainer and leave a mark as a multi-talented artiste in the Sri Lankan entertainment industry.”
Gayan has already left his imprint in the music industry with his singing and acting.
Versatility is Gayan Gunawardene’s middle name. His range of special skills is truly amazing. They include acting, singing, playing the guitar, piano, keyboards and trumpet, dancing and flips in the entertainment industry.
Swimming, horse riding, archery and rollerblading are his sporting passions. And this is how this popular singer and actor keeps his trim and fit figure.
Gayan also has linguistic talents and is fluent in English, Sinhala and Hindi and is therefore, adept at singing in all three languages.
‘Nuwan Rathriya’ was a major concert of Nuwan Gunawardene’sin 2010 and Gayan played a major part in it. This was followed by ‘Thatthai Puthai’ in 2018, a concert to celebrate Nuwan Gunawardene’s Golden Jubilee (50) in the Sri Lankan music industry. Organised and produced by Gayan it was his loving tribute to his father. Held at the National Youth Centre auditorium, it was a very successful concert.
Two albums containing the songs played at the concerts were released and thy carried the same titles as the concerts.
All of Gayan’s songs have been hits among audiences. His first song was ‘Mage Adarey’ and for a maiden venture it received an excellent response. The lyrics were by Anu Vandebona and the music was by Radish Vandebona.
Gayan laid the foundation for his acting career at Royal Institute and his dramatic performances have also received much acclaim. In ‘Hithuwakkarayo’, he plays the role of a city boy in love with an older woman. In ‘Paradige’ Gayan plays the role of a poor street musician from Angulana, a coastal town in Western Sri Lanka. This was directed by popular director Jayaprakash Sivagurunathan.
Gayan’s other dramas are ‘Husmaktharamata’, ‘AhasMaliga’, ‘Asanwarawessak. Api ape’ and ‘Neela Pabalu’.
His good looks and attractive voice and personality has made Gayan Gunawardane a much sought after TV Presenter as well as a model for commercials.
He has presented many programs for TV 01. ‘Palamalla’, ‘Weekend’, ‘Roba Eve’, ‘Hip Hop Cult’ and ‘Dangaralla’ are some of them. ‘Music One’ for Swarnavahini is another program that Gayan has presented with his usual aplomb.
Gayan has also lent his voice to many popular jingles including ‘Chamathkara Sathi Anthaya’ (Sirasa TV), ‘Sinha Seyyawa’ (Sports 1st) and Sihasara FM Theme.
Gayan has represented many leading brands. Among them are Dialog,Oppo,Red bull, Singer and Daraz.
Gayan has also been a favourite at event performances and has been seen at events such as Derana Music V Awards (2017),
Swarnavahini ‘Avurudu 2021’ and Hiru ‘Awurudu 2021’.
For his acting prowess and popularity Gayan was nominated for the Sumathi Popular Actor award in 2020.
Not only is Gayan a multi-talented artiste he is also a far seeing an astute businessman. His Nuga Studio and Academy holds classes for the guitar and other instruments and many other subjects related to the music and entertainment industries.His other business enterprises are NugaTV, Sheer and Supiri.lk.
Gayan’s social media profiles are a good indication of his popularity. His Facebook page has over 518,000 followers while Instagram has 180,000. TikTok has over 145,000 followers and 85,000 people have subscribed to his Youtube channel. Gayan’s facebook profile has 47,000 followers.
Gayan has soared up the ladder of success because of his inherent talents,grit and determination and hard work. Asked about the obstacles he faced during his upward journey Gayan said that he did face many obstacles. Currently too, due to the pandemic, power outages and other problems in the country he faces more obstacles. But to Gayan obstacles are meant to be overcome and he loves challenges. He has overcome many obstacles through sheer hard work, grit and determination.
Gayan says he is fancy free but currently social media platforms are a buzz that it is not so.
Gayan hails from a close knit family, father Nuwan, mother Ramona and sister Dilhara. This he says is one of the rocks in his life.
Gayan expressed his gratitude to each and everyone who has helped and supported him in his successful journey.
Pix: Thilak Perera