ඉන්ද්රාණි පෙරේරා
45 songs performed
Indrani Perera (ඉන්ද්රාණි පෙරේරා, also spelled Indrani Pereira) is a Sri Lankan singer who came up through the late-1960s Colombo pop scene and became one of the defining female voices of the era alongside Clarence Wijewardena and Annesley Malewana. Her warm, soul-tinged delivery carried both English-style pop numbers and Sinhala love songs, and she remains best known for early hits like Dilhani Duwani and Thiline Lesin.
Indrani Perera was born on 15 February in Borella, Colombo, the second of three sisters. Her father, Abeypala Perera, was Buddhist and her mother, Muriel Perera, was Christian, and she was educated at the Presbyterian Girls School on Regent Street. Her elder sister Mallika and younger sister Iranganie both sang, and the three would soon perform together.
Indrani Perera began performing with the Fire Flies band led by Dalrene Suby, and in 1969 recorded her first song, Dilhani Duwani. That same year she was invited into The Moonstones, the influential group founded by guitarist and composer Clarence Wijewardena, which placed her at the centre of Sri Lanka’s emerging Sinhala pop sound. In December 1969 she formed the female vocal group Three Sisters with Mallika and Iranganie, making their first public appearance on 31 December 1969 at the Hotel Taprobane.
Across the 1970s Indrani Pereira built a catalogue that ranged from upbeat pop to tender duets. Among her most enduring recordings are Wasanthaye Mal Kekulai (වසන්තයේ මල් කැකුළයි), Mathakaya Asurin, Sudu Asu Pita Negala and the playful Ha Ha Hore. She also recorded the well-loved Pem Rasa Wahena as a duet with Victor Rathnayake, and her work as a playback singer reached cinema audiences through film scores.
With a voice shaped by pop, soul, rhythm and blues and Indian classical influences, Indrani Perera helped open Sinhala popular music to a new generation of female singers. Her songs remain a staple of golden-oldies playlists and continue to be sung at weddings and gatherings, and her place in the story of The Moonstones keeps her central to any account of Sri Lanka’s first wave of pop.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Indrani Perera.