|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 24 February 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Song writers for the world by Mahes Perera
The Sunday Observer is the official newspaper for Bhatiya and Santush's venture into Universal Music Publishing. This three-year contract will catapult the now famous local band into the competitive arena of international music publishing. The Ceylon Tourist Board wants to extend its fullest co-operation to the youthful band who have revolutionised local music tastes. Sri Lankan Airlines are the official airline, while Elephant House is sponsoring their efforts. MTV has come forward as official electronic media sponsors. ANCL is print media sponsors. Path breakers in the Sri Lankan Music scene Bathiya and Santush have done it again! Their youthful dreams of capturing the global new generation of music lovers are becoming a reality. On Saturday February 23 in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, Bathiya and Santush officially signed a publishing contract for a period of three years with Universal Music Publishing, as song writers under this label. the twosome's extremely courageous and creative artistry has put Sri Lanka on the map of the world, picking up after cricket. Sri Lanka's ethnic band is now going worldwide!
"This contract" says Bathiya and Santush "means that we have to compose original English songs - music and lyrics -which will be marketed by Universal Music Publishing to foreign artistes, and so Sri Lanka becomes a channel for new material in music for international pop artistes. It will be worked out on a royalty basis and we are extremely happy that our dreams in this new millennium are happening!" Currently Bathiya and Santush have signed a recording deal with Sony Music through M. Entertainment for the release of a third album which is on the tracking lane. "The album when released will be marketed for global distribution and world include promotional tours. Already we have a contract with an Australian recording company for three to four concerts in April" reveal Bathiya and Santush. Universal Music Asia's offer to Bathiya and Santush was one of the many invitations they had in their bag when they won the Silver Award at the Azia Dauysy, World Music Festival held at Kazakhstan from August 1-6 last year. The festival organised by the 'Voice of Asia' World Music Foundation attached more than 100 entries from Europe and the Asian regions. Bathiya and Santush with their hip hop adaptation of Siri Sangabodhi, and two other songs 'life' and 'Manusathkule' which they performed with panache the contest, convinced the panel of judges that they were a committed young twosome and crusaders too in their music. Their dreams didn't let them down. In fact the Silver Award was their launching pad to global stardom. They had many invitations in the bag. There was one from Pato Banton to produce and record a song for his new album in 2002, an invitation from the Egyptian actress Shaymaa Saeed to appear in and record the music of one of the songs in an upcoming movie in the Arab region... an invitation to do the backing track and music arrangement for the Filipino star Ladine in Roxes and most important of all invitations to perform in Malta, Romania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria (Bathiya and Santush have with determination and courage taken Sinhala pop music many steps further by introducing the global trends in music - rap and hip hop - into their songs and adaptations in order to reach out to the explosive youth market. Now they are on fast forward track which gained momentum when they released their second CD 'Life' in July 2000. Recorded on the Torana Music label the CD further enhanced the crusade that Bathiya and Santush triggered off, and that is, to give the present youth music lovers, opportunities to 'keep an ongoing interest in Sinhala Music'. First there was 'Vasanthaye' and then came 'life' a remarkable statement in lyrics and music from the young duo, supported by Ashanti de Alwis, Randir Withana, Ranidu Lankage, Ranga Dissanayake and Shane Pillai. Using Sri Lankan folk themes combined with the western music idiom including Sinhala and English rap, the songs on the CD are contemporary in music structure and arrangements which is their major plus Sri Sangabodhi with its doo-wap and rap in compelling. "I see you grooving to this piece of history. This is all about who you are and its no mystery Let's keep on moving to this and believe in your destiny If you don't know who we are, we'll be modern history.' Bathiya and Santush have undoubtedly created music history. Believers in their dreams they are now crusaders in new music trends and show stopper entertainment. A song writers for Universal Music Publishing they have succeeded in giving Sri Lanka added thrust in global appreciation. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
