Let me introduce you to rising star Sayumi, the young songstress. Her passion for music and studies are one. She is an undergraduate in Sport Science. Music is her first love. Last week, she released her first song Neth Maane and is over the moon that it came out well. So as a celebration she talks to Youth Observer about her goals.
Q: So tell us a bit about yourself?
Wow! Let’s see. I’m Sayumi Sasanga Pallimulle Hewa Geeganage. I was at St. Joseph’s Girls' College, Nugegoda for awhile and then went onto Sirimawo Bandaranaike College, Colombo. My passion and hobby is music and I was able to make my dream come true with the release Neth Maane recently. Even though music is my first love, I have a totally different career path lined up and that’s Sports Science, another something I love.
Q: What made you a singer?
I was exposed to music a lot as a child. I also got a really good dose of inspiration from my father. He always sings the good old songs. I don’t go to classes. You could say that I’ve got some inborn talent inherited from my father, who helped in my initiate outburst in singing.
Q: Tell me about your family?
My father is a businessman and also a good athlete. My mother was a teacher previously. I have a younger brother who is a swimmer with a black belt in Karate. I'm proud to call my family 'musical' as well as 'sporty'.
Q: What does music mean to you?
Music! Oh it’s what I love the most. Singing and playing the guitar are kind of stress relievers. Ever since I was young, I was drawn to music. I could sit for hours and listen to music, especially Sinhala songs.
Q: Who are your biggest musical influences?
My favourite female singer is Umara Sinhawansa. She is my vocal trainer. My favourite male singer is Sanka Dineth. He's the person who put a beautiful melody to my song. The favourite song is Kasthuri by Umara Sinhawansa. I've been in love with the song since I was a kid.
Q: Do you aspire to be a professional singer?
I'd like to strike a balance between my career and music. So in the future music will be more than a hobby and will go parallel with my career.
Q: What do you think about 'new generation' songs?
The songs that we hear now are very similar to each other in their lyrics, melodies and even in the voices. They all try to imitate others. But what we have to do is to be ourselves. We have to do our best to make a change, to give what we do a newer look.
Q: You’re grateful to a bunch of people. Who are they?
I’m awfully grateful to my parents and my family for directing me to follow my passion. I have to thank Sanka Dineth for creating such an amazing melody and for giving life to my song with his rich music. He did a lot to make a song that is compatible for my voice and for my age. He was behind me till the end besides his busy schedule. I’m so thankful to Umara Sinhawansa. She dedicated much of her time so I could get the vocals right to the song. Also I want to thank Dulhari Illangakoon for making a song for me by writing the lyrics. Then I’d like to thank Chamel Shavinda for mixing the song and Diran Wijayasinghe for making the visuals. Apart from them, I want to thank Aunty Ayesha, the UMS crew; Anouchka, Migantha, Uthum, Tilan, Sachin and Kavindu for being there to encourage me. Besides them, Priyan Perera, Rukshan Gunawardana, Megha Kavinda Colambage and Yohan Pallimulle Hewa Geeganage helped me a lot. I’m so grateful to all of them.
Q: What's your advice to the present generation?
When you do something, try to make it new and different. Don’t imitate. Be unique.