ඩැඩී
40 songs performed · 13 compositions · 5 lyrics written
Daddy (ඩැඩී) is a Sri Lankan pop and rock band that grew out of the school-and-campus gig circuit of the mid-2000s and became one of the most recognisable young Sinhala bands of its generation. The group is known for upbeat, conversational singles such as SMS, Borukari, and Tiken Tika, performed with live instrumentation rather than playback.
The band began as an English-language outfit called JADA, formed around 2003 and active in the inter-school and university music scene. Guitarist and vocalist Gayan Perera was a founding figure, and Viresh Cooray, a friend from his APIIT days, was brought in after an early lineup change. When the group shifted toward original Sinhala material it took the name Daddy around 2006, settling into a core of Gayan Perera, Viresh Cooray, Nimantha Kaluarachchi, Shamila Siriwardana, and Dilan Hettiarachchi.
Daddy made its name with radio singles built on everyday Sinhala, light humour, and contemporary slang, a tone that set the band apart from the heavily produced pop of the late 2000s. The single Borukari drew strong feedback after its radio release, while SMS, a song about text messages replacing the old love letter, became one of the band’s most quoted tracks. The breakthrough video for Mage Massina (Iridata Palliyedi) helped push the group into the mainstream.
Other songs the band is known for include Waren Yanna (Jeewithe Windinna), Aaley, Arabiya, and Prarthana. Several of these were written and composed within the band itself, with Gayan Perera credited across performance, music, and lyrics on tracks such as Aradhana.
Gayan Perera left Daddy in 2013 to pursue further studies in the United States, and the lineup continued to evolve in the years that followed, with Viresh Cooray remaining a steady presence. More than a decade on, the band is still cited among the Sri Lankan boy bands a generation grew up with, remembered for its live-vocal performances and its knack for turning ordinary moments into singalong Sinhala pop.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Daddy.
Performed by: Daddy (ඩැඩී)
Performed by: Daddy (ඩැඩී)