Umara Sinhawansa
උමාරා සිංහවංශ
Born
Umara Sinhawansa

(1989-03-14) 14 March 1989
Colombo, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationMuslim Ladies’ College, Colombo
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • audio engineer
SpouseRisky Fahmi
Children1
RelativesUmaria Sinhawansa (sister)
Rukmani Devi (great aunt)
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1999–present

Umara Sinhawansa (born 14 March 1989), is a Sri Lankan singer, songwriter, producer, and audio engineer. She is known for her contributions to the country's pop, R&B and jazz genres.[1] Sinhawansa gained prominence working with Bathiya and Santhush's musical group, and later transitioned to solo-singing.

Early life

Umara Sinhawansa was born into a family of professional musicians, father Tony Sinhawansa and mother Ayesha Sinhawansa,[2] who allowed her to be exposed to all genres of music from jazz and hip hop to classic and R&B. She has one sister, (Umaria Sinhawansa), and two brothers. Umara was educated at Muslim Ladies’ College and represented Sri Lanka in three international singing competitions.[3] She and her sister Umaria won third place at the 2011 Crimea Music Fest, competing against singers from all around the world, and won first prize at the All-Island Singing Competition of Sri Lanka.[1]

Career

She did her first professional recording at the age of 10 along with her sister Umaria and made her first public performance at the age of 13. Later on Umara teamed up with the popular singing duo Bathiya and Santhush, and was the designated audio engineer when they toured. She has a vocal range of four and a half octaves.[4] Some of her chart toppers are "Wassanayata", "Shaheena", "Sihina Ko" and "Malak Thibuna" with Chithral Somapla and Kasthuri.[4] After her marriage to Risky Fahmi, she moved to Hong Kong, where she mastered the art of jazz under Dylan Lye. During a 6-year stint in Hong Kong, she performed in the Chinese market and established herself as a Sri Lankan vocalist while performing with her band Proteus. After returning from Hong Kong in 2017, Umara launched her academy, Umara Music Studio (UMS)[5] which provides music and vocal training for students of all ages.[1][6]

National Anthem controversy

On 30 July 2023, Sinhawansa performed for the opening ceremony of the Lanka Premier League cricket tournament held at R. Premadasa Stadium, along with singers Yohani and Chitral Somapala.[7] Sinhawansa came under scrutiny for her rendition of "Sri Lanka Matha", the national anthem of Sri Lanka. Critics accused her of allegedly distorting the lyrics, changing the word "matha" (mother) to "mahatha" (mister).[8] Others criticized her style of singing as operatic and Westernized, deviating too much from the style of the original.

Public opinion was divided on social media.[9] While many heavily criticized Sinhawansa for "tarnishing" the national anthem,[10] others including public figures such as singer Ashanthi De Alwis and Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Chamathka Ratnayake[11] came to her defense. Politicians from the country's Buddha Sasana and Ministry of Public Administration condemned the event as unconstitutional, sighting the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka's protections of the national anthem.[12]

On 31 July 2023, the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government issued a gazette written by ministry secretary Ranjith Asoka, stating that a probe will be launched to investigate the alleged distortion of the national anthem.[13]

On 2 August 2023, Sinhawansa issued an apology on social media, stating, "I love my Motherland. I never intended to distort the words of the national anthem nor cause any sort of misrepresentation. I do understand the sentiments of my people. Therefore, I do extend my heartfelt and sincere apology to anyone that may have been affected/offended by my performance."[14][15]

Awards and accomplishments

  • Represented Sri Lanka at two international singing competitions held in Kazakhstan and China.[2]
  • Won the Bronze Award at the Crimea Music Festival held in Ukraine (2011), singing along with her sister Umaria.[1]
  • Became youngest female artist in Sri Lanka to have collaborated with the international artist Shankar Mahadevan (Shankar Ehsaan Loy)[1]

Television shows

Year Title Channel Language Role
2021 Derana Dream Star (Season-10) TV Derana Sinhala Judge
2017 Youth with Talent ITN Sinhala Judge

Filmography (Music department)

Year Movie Name Role Language Country
2019 U Turn Playback Singer[16] Sinhala Sri Lanka

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Umara born to sing". Sunday Observer. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 "INSIDE STORY". LIVING. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Pilapitiya, Sureshni. "Voice for all seasons". Daily News. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Umara Sinhawansa | An Exceptional Icon in the World of Music". theentrepreneur.lk. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "Over 40 young artists spotlighted at the One Mic concert organised by Umara Music Studio". Sri Lanka News – BusinessNews.lk. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  6. ↑ WIJEKOON, Channa Bandara. "Turning point for Channa". Daily News. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  7. ↑ UMARA | උමාරා [@umara_music] (30 July 2023). "Honoured to sing the National Anthem Live this evening at the @lplt20 @officialslc opening ceremony.🇱🇰". via Instagram. Retrieved on 1 August 2023.
  8. ↑ Samarawickrama, Chaturanga Pradeep (1 August 2023). "National Anthem distortion at LPL opening stirs controversy Legal action contemplated". Daily Mirror. Retrieved on 1 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Rutnam, Easwaran (31 July 2023). "Social media at war over Umara and Sri Lanka National anthem". Colombo Gazette. Retrieved on 1 August 2023.
  10. ↑ (31 July 2023). "A Heedless Disgrace: Condemning the National Anthem Remix Fiasco". Sri Lanka Guardian. Retrieved on 1 August 2023.
  11. ↑ Chamathka Ratnayake [@Chamthka_0815] (31 July 2023). "I can’t help but think that all the unnecessary backlash again Umara’s rendition of the national anthem is because she took a principled stand to pull out of a concert.". via Twitter. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Samaraweera, Buddhika (31 July 2023). "National anthem: Singer’s slip of the tongue to face Govt.’s music". The Morning. Retrieved on 1 August 2023.
  13. ↑ (31 July 2023). "Govt inquiry over Umara national anthem issue". Newswire. Retrieved on 1 August 2023.
  14. ↑ UMARA | උමාරා [@umara_music] (2 August 2023). No caption post. via Instagram. Retrieved on 2 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Umara Music (2 August 2023). No caption post. via Facebook. Retrieved on 2 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Umara Sinhawansa". IMDb. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
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