Abhisheka Wimalaweera

Abhisheka Wimalaweera (අභිෂේකා විමලවීර; also spelled Abisheka Wimalaweera) is a Sri Lankan singer, lyricist and novelist whose romantic Sinhala pop songs, many of them written and performed by herself, have circulated widely with the diaspora since the mid 2010s. Born Suhasini Abhisheka Wimalaweera on 11 November 1988 in Galle, she is among the rare contemporary artists who both pen and sing their own material.

Early life and training

Wimalaweera came up through formal music education rather than the talent-show route alone. She earned the Sangeet Visharad from the Bhatkhande Music Institute in 2006, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Colombo in 2013 and a master’s degree from the University of Kelaniya in 2020. In 2019 she joined the University of Colombo as a music lecturer, a teaching grounding that shows in the careful phrasing of her songwriting.

Career and songs

Wimalaweera built her catalogue on slow, sentiment-driven love songs. A defining trait is that she writes the words herself: on Lyrics-lk she is credited as the lyricist on most of her own recordings, including Ridi Ridee (රිදි රිදී), Aye Numba Na Kiya (ආයේ නුඹ නෑ කියා) and Kaha Pata Arunalle (Suranganavi). Ridi Ridee, composed by Dilum Thejana, became one of her most recognised tracks and anchored a later “Best of” collection.

She has also recorded duets and collaborations, among them Ra Nethu Wasa with Shehan Kaushalya. Alongside her own releases, Abisheka Wimalaweera has worked as a film playback singer, contributing to Sinhala features over the 2009 to 2018 period.

Notable songs on Lyrics-lk

• Ridi Ridee
• Aye Numba Na Kiya
• Kaha Pata Arunalle (Suranganavi)
• Seema Na (Handawanne Ai Mawa Rahasin)
• Nethra Reli Hanga Gannata
• Ra Nethu Wasa
• Nissara Sansara Heene
• Dekopul Kandulin Thema

Beyond music

Wimalaweera is also a published novelist and an entrepreneur, and in 2022 she served as a winning coach on The Voice Teens Sri Lanka, mentoring a younger generation of singers. The combination of academic music training, her own songwriting, and a public coaching profile has kept her a steady presence in the contemporary Sinhala pop scene.