TNL Onstage: Meet the Semi Finalists! 

TNL Onstage, Sri Lanka’s largest platform for budding musicians’ is currently underway and still going strong in its 15th season.

The recently concluded Onstage Preliminary Rounds took place at the Boardwalk, Water’s Edge over the past few weeks, and the event brimmed with unadulterated talent as contestant after contestant tore up the stage with their electrifying performances. The Daily Mirror Life recently caught up with the talented youngsters fresh off their success of having battled and conquered the competitive preliminary rounds, about their beginnings.

Nabith

I am a self-taught guitarist, and have been vocally trained by Maxi Rozairo since August 2014. I started singing in school when I was about 15, and decided to learn guitar as well. I was a cover artist until really recently when I started writing my own music. I have intense stage fright, even after four years of playing in front of people. TNL Onstage is the biggest thing in the local music industry since, well, sliced bread! I want to be a part of something big and enjoy the experience.

Kamishka

I first began singing in my school choir. I’m here because I believe that TNL Onstage is a great opportunity, and a good platform for young artists to showcase their talents. My musical influences include Sam Smith and Bono. If anyone was wondering, I have an undying love for Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock.

Yohaani

Despite having no formal musical background I have performed at Sessions, and RnR Unplugged. I was also a finalist at Illusion 2015. My musical influences include Adele, Alicia Keys, and Beyoncé. Participating in TNL Onstage was always the dream, but I had to wait until I was old enough to compete. My goal is to influence as many young vocalists as I can, and show them that anything is possible if you work hard enough.

Nandun

I started off with music by singing in the shower. I’m just an ordinary guy looking to make it in the music scene. I love composing, but so far, I have not played any of my originals live. I played my first gig in 2014, which was called Sessions: Live at FDO’s. Since then, I have played at few gigs such as a Classic Rock Night, and RNR Unplugged. I also performed at a school concert called Xtaztic. At all my previous gigs, I've performed as part of a band trio, or duo. I want to make something out of myself as a solo performer, and I decided that TNL Onstage was the way to do that.

Hasnah

My musical background is diverse. I am a rapper, a singer, and a classically trained violinist. Marilyn Manson is a major musical influence of mine, and if you played the first 5 seconds of any Marilyn Manson song, I could name it. I have performed and competed several times in the past, but hope that TNL Onstage will help me reach a wider audience. If I win, I'd use that fact to make my music accessible to people who didn’t know of me before.

Tharani

I started singing in school as part of the choir. My first performance was at Achievers Idol in 2012. Since then my friends from college and I have started a band called Clairvoyant and together we’ve performed at gigs such as RnR Unplugged and Classic Rock Night. We also guest-performed at the Chokolaate Mother Daughter fashion show in 2014. If I were to win TNL Onstage, I would continue to pursue music, not just as a hobby, put as a passion. I aim to create a name for myself in the music industry, and inspire those like me to go after what they really want because life is too short for anything else.

Imaadh

I began singing at a small age, but never really got the opportunity for vocal training. I picked up the guitar a year back, practiced at home, and now I'm able to accompany myself. I've sung for a few events at school level, and although I joined late, singing for the school choir helped me mold my voice to a great extent. TNL Onstage is downright the biggest thing, and there are so many past Royalists who've been a part of it. They're people I really look up to, and I hope to join them. Winning this competition would give me a stable foundation to do what I so dearly love.

Sachini

I have been performing for shows since I was 15. Competing in TNL Onstage has been on my bucket list for a while. It’s probably the most significant singing competition in Sri Lanka, and I wanted to take part in it before leaving to attend university. Music is one of the very few things, which makes me entirely happy, and one of my greatest inspirations is Alicia Keys.

Cosmogyral

Cosmogyral was formed when we were all at St. Joseph's College. At the time we mostly played for Interact functions. Since then we've played for some concerts organised by other schools. Our musical influences include John Mayer, Paolo Nutini, and Coldplay. TNL Onstage is the biggest competition in Sri Lanka for musicians and a great platform for local talent to be put out there. If we were to win, we would invest in some audio equipment, and focus on live gigs. Our band’s anthem is Georgia on My Mind/Nightshift!

Chain

We would describe our music as old school heavy/progressive metal. We love metal, but we are not restricted to its confines. We are very into experimental and progressive music as well. We each have diverse interests, which we try to incorporate into what we play. We toured in Bangalore, India as headliners in July 2013. This will be our first music competition, and we hope to make history this year. Winning would be a start for us to further our music on a new level, and aspire to reach the pinnacle of our musical abilities.

Lustful Gaze

Lustful Gaze started off a few years ago, but didn’t become an official band until 2013. We chose glam metal for a reason. We wanted to make a difference in Sri Lanka, and in the music industry, both locally and internationally. We were really passionate about the genre, which had a huge impact on the music scene in the 1980s and 90s. The fashion aspect has always played a huge role in our band—bandanas, spandex, a bit of make-up, glittered tank tops, these are essentials when we go on stage. Our goal is to take the Sri Lankan rock and heavy metal community to greater heights.

Rebel Exodus

The story of how our band formed is a typical one—four morons got together to jam one day, and decided that they were good enough to try and win a competition. Most of our performing experience has been on the streets where a few of us have gained a loyal following of random guys that frequent the place. Our musical influences include Tom Waits, Damian Marley, and BB King. We decided to compete because we thought it would be fun. And we love playing music at loud volumes. Side note—we’re not as dirty as well look.

Karma

Our band spans a number of genres including classic rock, alternative, pop, and reggae. We have been playing and jamming since our early days in school. Our first show was at Band Heroes, and afterwards we performed at Margarita Blue, Park Street Mews, and the Long Bar among other venues. TNL Onstage acts as a starting platform, and because we are looking for a breakthrough, we believe that TNL Onstage would be able to help us to get to that point. Because this is one of the biggest events happening in Sri Lanka, winning this competition would mean a lot, as we would get recognised in the public eye, and be able to do what we love the most.

Amuthu

Amuthu began playing one year ago. All of our members attended Dharmaraja College in Kandy. None of us are formally trained as musicians–everything we know, we have taught ourselves. Our musical influences include The Black Keys, Switchfoot, Metallica, and Chithral Somapala.

Against Gravity

Three of our members met in school, and began playing in a band with a couple of other musicians. We later took a break in order to pursue tertiary education; but after nearly two years we decided to once again pursue what we really love—music. We formed Against Gravity in March 2015 with musical influences including Matchbox Twenty, Mr.Big, Papa Roach, and the Eagles. We're not just any other band. We are driven by heartfelt music, and all of us have that in common. Our passion and immeasurable interest in music are what really get us going.

Resurrection

We started out playing music in different bands, but we didn't feel the music with those other acts. So we kept hanging out and jamming from time to time, and somehow, a band was eventually formed with Pramod, Kanishka, and Achira. We played a few local gigs, and Nisal and Randy came along as our new guitarists. Oshan joined us later as the keyboardist. The band was reborn when we were about to give up and leave performing. Because we came from the dead, we started calling ourselves Resurrection.

Interviewed by Rihaab Mowlana