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Dulani

Aug 15 2013.

'Come Gimmie' - Dulani

No, this is not an interview of a model. This is about a very talented singer - Dulani Mary Anne. Her new single “Come Gimmie” was released on 12 August. Right now she is enjoying the positive responses to her debut single. Meanwhile she is also concentrating on her upcoming album.

Let’s meet her for a chat..

Profile

- Full Name : Dulani Mary Anne Ramenaden (Wijetunge)

- Nickname : D, Dula, Dulz, Dulla, Duli girl

- Life’s motto : A hardest earned victory is the sweetest!

- Music genre : A little bit of everything

- Eye colour : Black

- Hair colour : Black, but it changes colour quite often

- Height : 5’3”

- Life’s biggest achievements : Winning YES Superstar

Good work on your new single, please share your musical journey with the readers.

Well, I started off as a member of the school choir and then joined the choir at an Airline while I was working there. I started up a band with a few friends which existed for a while and then I was offered a wonderful opportunity as a female vocalist for a western band in the Maldives. After a period of 1 year I returned to our motherland and joined the band X-IT which was led by the very talented Kevin Almeida and then sang with the guitar legend Derek Wickramanayake for quite a few years, I also worked with The Rebels and performed at many gigs with various artistes and bands. But after my break from music when I pursued my higher studies, I decided to take a different turn in my career of music, which was to build up a career as a solo artiste. That’s when YES Super Star came along and I told myself “It’s now or never” knowing that it would be the best platform for me to start my solo career and words can’t explain how blessed I am to have won it! And now my journey as “Dulani” has begun.

What took you so long to make an album?

Let’s just say I had to delay my wedding due to the competition. So right after the finals, my fiancé and I started running around, planning our wedding. Usually you need to book hotels, flower deco etc. a year ahead but we had only 6 months to plan the entire wedding. So I didn’t want to start working on my originals with the whole wedding rush and have a bad product. I’ve always waited patiently, I wanted to wait for the big day to be over with so that I’ll have enough time to do something fresh.

So right after the wedding in early 2013, I met up with the extremely talented Azlan Shariffdeen to discuss what I had in mind which was working on 2 songs (1 Sinhala and 1 English) and we haven’t stopped working since.

Most of the new songs we hear a lot are Sinhala pop. And I know you are more into English singing. Are you working on Sinhala songs just to be in the mainstream?

Well let’s put it this way, Yes English music is what I’ve been doing from the very beginning. I am and I have always been a person who likes to experiment and try out new things in life. I’m never too shy to try out or learn something new. I want to contribute not just to a handful of audience but to everyone. I always wanted to get involved in the Sinhala music industry as I have never even sung a Sinhala song in public as yet. Why not, It’s my mother tongue, I should be ashamed of myself if I don’t contribute to the Sinhala industry and I believe in taking chances. After all I don’t know if I’ll be a successful Sinhala artiste. At least I’ll never regret it because I know I tried. That’s why I decided to work on an English track as well as a Sinhala track.

Who is your idol? How has he/she helped you in your journey?

I have many. I learn something from everyone, I must say. I gather good and useful things from every individual. This helps me realise the ups and downs of this industry and helps me to grow as a better person and an artiste. It’s magical when you combine all the good things you gather from various talented people than just looking up to one.

Are singers making enough money in Sri Lanka (in your view?)

First of all I definitely think that Sri Lankan artistes need to be appreciated more. I also believe that more organisations need to come forward and help young talented artistes come up. Many give opportunities only for artistes who have already made it in the industry. This is why there are talented artists still struggling to come up.

Sadly artistes in Sri Lanka do not earn as much as they deserve to. Many do not realise the amount of training, effort and hard work that is put into one’s performance. It’s certainly not a walk in the park. That’s one reason why our artistes keep looking for better opportunities overseas because for a full timer it’s very hard to survive.

Are we going to see many more singles from you soon?

Yes, my debut single is released, which is an English Dance track. I have also scheduled to shoot my first music video for the Sinhala track this August and I’m hoping to release it by October.

Do you believe in duets? How well does it work for you?

Duets can be the most beautiful thing to one's ears, if you work with the correct partner. If not that’ll be a disaster. I personally believe that if a duet needs to sound good, both voices need to blend in well, there should be the right amount of balance and emotion. Nevertheless they should share the same amount of passion.

When will you be available for stage shows?

I am always available and ready for stage shows.

Dulani on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dulaniram

Interview & pics by Jayantha Fernando