අබේවර්ධන බාලසූරිය
52 songs performed
Abewardana Balasuriya (අබේවර්ධන බාලසූරිය, also spelled Abeywardena Balasuriya or Abeywardana Balasooriya) was a Sri Lankan singer, songwriter and television producer whose warm, unhurried voice carried a long run of Sinhala film and radio songs from the 1960s onward. Known affectionately by the nickname Chooti Ralahamy, he was regarded as an A-grade vocalist whose career stretched across more than three decades.
Balasuriya was born on 9 March 1947 in the Chilaw area on Sri Lanka’s western coast, and studied at St. Mary’s College, Chilaw. Music ran in the household: his father played the harmonium. He first took a job with the Air Force in the mid 1960s, then moved to the Paddy Marketing Board as a technical officer when service life clashed with his growing singing work.
From the 1960s Abeywardana Balasuriya built a catalogue of playback songs for Sinhala cinema alongside his radio recordings, working with leading lyricists of the era including Sunil Ariyaratne, Ajantha Ranasinghe and Premakeerthi de Alwis. His recordings appeared on labels such as HMV, Torana and Nilwala. Many of these songs remain in steady rotation among Sri Lankan listeners and the diaspora.
Balasuriya is remembered for a number of duets and solo pieces. He recorded Malawunge Nagaraye and the devotional Piyanani Ma, the patriotic Anuradhapuraya Obai and Man Nethi Da Me Rata Obatai, and the much-loved Weli Bath Iwwa. His tender Nadeeshani (Bawayen Bawe) and Oben Thora Lokayak Kohendo are among the titles searchers still look for under the Abeywardana Balasooriya spelling.
Beyond singing, Balasuriya worked as a writer and a television producer, directing the programme Nandana Vindana and producing Anduna, which earned a Rupavahini award in the late 1980s. He was married to the singer Niranjala Sarojani. He died on 26 March 2010 in Colombo at the age of 63. His songs, gentle and melodic, continue to be sought out by listeners who knew them as Abeywardena Balasuriya recordings.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Abewardana Balasuriya.