Buzz With Danu!!!! - Shehan Somaratna 

Today on #SupportingTalent on Buzz with Danu, I have a man with local roots and international talent. He was just 5 years old when he started learning to play the piano under Menaka Sahabandu. By the age of 20, he had completed his grade 8 in Trinity College of London and was part of her tutelage until he had to leave for his studies to the UK. He continued to take part in small performances during his years in university but really got into it after 2012 thanks to a supportive network of friends and family based in the UK. 

Today Shehan Somaratna is promoting “Said Enough”, a song composed by him, which was written to propose to his girlfriend. The music is available on all media platforms and can be purchased on his official webpage www.shehansomaratna.com as well. The music video will be showcased his official webpage, YouTube, and other featured websites. 

Today he speaks about more than just his music on Buzz with Danu. 

Tell me about your love for music. 

Music is a form of expression. I use it to connect, convey emotions, and to distract. Music and I are intertwined and everything I play is apart of me and who I am. I use it as a tool to help and inspire those around me who are needing that little inspiration in their lives to do great things. 

When did you want to make big in the music world? 

I decided to take the initiative to make a difference and help anyone and everyone I can. Music is my weapon of choice. Persistence and belief are my special powers. 

Who has been your greatest strength in believing in you? 

I am Sri Lankan, so without a shadow of a doubt, my parents - to this day! 

Tell me about your new song? 

I am a hopeless romantic sometimes, and this was one of those moments when I decided to propose to a friend. Some people buy rings and flowers and all that jazz. I wrote a song which was unique to only her and I out of all the people in the world. Cool right? 

How has the primer been so far? 

It has been a great response to the amazing effort by Alfredo Esposito and the entire Italian production team! I was initially unsure of what I was going to get, but I didn't care that much about the final result; what I cared about was that the producer understood how I felt when I wrong the song and decided to publish it; "The hidden meaning within the lyrics which is brought out by the visual". But overall, it's been a great response from the crowds in UK and Sri Lanka, Spain, Italy, Greece, USA, India, etc. Thank you to all the radio channels in Sri Lanka who are airing the song at the moment. And thanks to Bristol TV - Made in Bristol for the interview which will be airing as well soon. We have gotten a lot more interest from other media channels in the UK and in the process of connecting with them one by one. 

Photographs by Alfredo Esposito 

Who is your musical inspiration? 

I am a huge fan of Ed Sheeran - I think he is the most talented artist out there. Sorry for being biased and putting my two-cents out there. 

I know you will be visiting Sri Lanka soon? What are your plans to promote the song here? 

I have a few TV interviews and radio interviews that might happen. I will confirm that once I have it officially in writing. But yes, I will be in Sri Lanka from the 9th to the 25th of June. Looking forward to potentially playing an acoustic set in a few locations; just me and a piano. If anyone is interested, follow me on Facebook or Twitter as I will be updating my whereabouts on social media. 

Tell me a little bit about your family. What was their feedback for the song? 

I have a musical family. My dad has a rendition he wants to add which involves him on a violin. (That's going to be interesting). My mother plays her fair share of piano too, but currently more into her catering than anything else. I have a talented brother called Ryan who some "might" know. I'm just going to show him "how it's done" properly so that he can start doing the same with his musical endeavours, if he so wishes to. 

Would you try a Sinhala song sometime? 

I met Kasun Kalhara when I came down last December and we will be meeting again to discuss some ideas I have down the pipeline. He is a great artist and I think he can help me with some songs that are in the back burner which I feel are best suited with a Sinhalese musical input/style. I am curious to see if what is in my head sounds the same when brought to reality. 

What are your thoughts about the local music industry? 

Definitely a developing industry which has a great potential, if baked at the right temperature and time scale. We have some great talent that need to take a more proactive role in their passions and not aim for mediocre levels or goals. The beauty is not to do what's defined for you, but to pave the path that has never been seen before. That's my definition of an artist. And it's an application not just for the material content, but, for the entire process of the lifespan of a song. 

What is your average day like? 

My average day lacks sleep. However, without complaining too much, I put my head down and put my engineering cap on and work 9 - 5 in the aerospace sector (civil and commercial). At present I have been heavily involved with working in two R&D project to improve structural repair of composite sections in aircraft wings and fuselage, and also in helping to improve the structural health monitoring of wind turbines by using mobile robots with built in sensors. Additionally, I've just authored my first technical paper and is being published to the Royal Aeronautical Society journal in UK and I am right now, staying in a hotel room in London, getting ready to give my first ever presentation to the industry leaders in Flight Simulation here in the Uk about "The development for future pilot controls for flight simulation". And after I do the necessary work on this, I then start working on the music side of promoting, recording, composing, etc like I'm doing now. Oh and sometimes, I have a T20 cricket match in the evening and 45 over matches every weekend as I captain two cricket teams here - The Western Flyers CC and the Bristol Sri Lankan CC. So that's a general day in the life of Shehan. 

What are the projects you are currently working on? 

I cannot disclose this at present because I love giving that element of surprise or something to that nature. But let's just say; the next one is definitely going to be something you will be in a treat for! Stay tuned on my official webpage as well as for updates on www.shehansomaratna.com. 

Watch Shehan's video for "Said Enough" below: