When you are based in another country, you naturally end up missing home. However some Sri Lankans go out of their way to make Sri Lanka proud on a global scale and Rowie J is one such Sri Lankan. Rowie recently won Hit Makers Australia and released her debut single “In The Pocket” which has been doing quite well on iTunes!

First tell me how you found music? Or did music find you?

I've always been singing, since I was a little girl. I've been copying Michael Jackson and Boyz II Men songs! (When I was 6 I called up a radio station and sang "I'll make love to you" by Boyz II Men.. Haha I had no idea what the song was about back then but I just wanted to sing). I started learning when I was in high school.. I eventually joined a singing school and got proper vocal coaching. Since then I've been singing any chance I get and pursuing it as a career!

Who are your favorite musicians?

I love Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Stevie Wonder, Jason Mraz, John Legend, Maxwell.. And I've been listening to a lot of Sam Smith lately!
What made you want to take part in Hitmakers Australia? One of my friends told me about the Unsigned artist competition through Hit Makers Australia. I know they have a great reputation and I looked into it and found that the prize was to release a brand new single and video so I entered. I knew of some great local singers entering and I thought I'd give it a shot too!

Did you ever think you would win?

No way!! I've never entered a singing competition before, I was doing it for the experience and to have some fun. I wanted to be heard by Hit Makers Australia and the judges, who were all doing great things in the music industry! When they announced my name I was in shock.. I couldn't believe it! I am still so grateful that I was chosen as the winner, I was up against some incredible singers! It was an amazing moment. Seeing how happy my family and friends were was the best part about it! I felt like we all won!

How has winning helped you as a musician?

I had no idea what was in store for me after winning the HMA competition. So many great things have come my way and I owe it all to HMA!

What inspired the lyrics for your single "In the Pocket"?

In the pocket is written by Sean Declase, Rohit Mukerjea and myself. Sean is the director of HMA and just an all-round superstar! He is a singer, songwriter, producer, teacher and best of all a great friend and mentor to me. He has hit singles around the world and it was amazing working with him. Rohit is a super talented producer, writer and rapper (from the well known rap duo "Justice and Kaos"). He has also released hit singles and I was beyond lucky to work with artists of their calibre! The three of us had a great time writing this song! It's about falling for someone unexpectedly.. They got me right where they want me, and that's where I wanna be!

What was the toughest part about creating it?

I was most nervous about how people would react to the song. I really wanted my first single to be perfect. We played around with different ideas until we were all happy. I was lucky to have really experienced producers on this track, so they knew what worked!!

Where do you see yourself as an artiste?

I love performing live so I hope to have more opportunities to tour and release more music! I'm making the most of everything that's coming my way and I'll be happy as long as I'm singing.

Who would you think is your worst critic?

I am my harshest critic because I don't want to let anyone down and I'm a bit of a perfectionist! I have a very supportive group of friends and family.. I sometimes can't believe I'm so lucky to be surrounded by such great people who always motivate me to work hard and keep pushing myself. The last thing I want to do is disappoint them! I feel like I owe it to my friends and family who believe in me, to give this all I've got.

What's coming up for you?

I have written new songs and I will be releasing them soon! I hope In The Pocket was a good introduction of myself because I've got a lot more to come.

By Reihan Stephen