Kasun Kalhara

Kasun Kalhara (also written Kasun Kalhara Jayawardena, කසුන් කල්හාර) is a Sri Lankan singer, composer, guitarist and record producer, born on 3 November 1981 in Rajagiriya. He is one of the defining voices of the post-2000 Sinhala pop generation, known for a soft, romantic vocal style and for albums such as Haritha Nimnaye, Radical Premaya and Romantic Opera.

Early life and musical family

Kasun Kalhara was born into music. His mother was the veteran playback vocalist Malani Bulathsinhala, and his father, H. M. Jayawardena, worked as a composer. He was educated at Ananda College in Colombo, where he began performing with classmates in the late 1990s.

Career and breakthrough

His music career took shape around 1999, alongside fellow Ananda College singer Indrachapa Liyanage and under the guidance of the music director K. M. Rathnapala. The two friends became closely associated through the popular duet Sanda Eliya (සඳ එළිය). Kalhara went on to release three studio albums, Haritha Nimnaye (2001), Radical Premaya (2005) and Romantic Opera (2008), the last two of which give their names to songs on this site, including Radical Premaya (Adare Gena) and Romanthika Operawa.

Signature songs and collaborations

Much of Kalhara’s best-loved work pairs his voice with other singers. He recorded Sara Sade Siriyaawe with the vocalist Kushani Sandareka, whom he later married, and Ananthayata Yana again with Indrachapa Liyanage. As a composer he wrote across the wider scene, including work for his mother and for singers such as Amarasiri Peiris and Indika Upamali.

• Sanda Eliya
• Sara Sade Siriyaawe
• Wahilihiniye
• Lihiniye Kiyanna
• Ena Wassaneka
• Haritha Wana Rekawen
• Romanthika Operawa

Style and legacy

Kasun Kalhara Jayawardena helped shape the melodic, lyric-driven Sinhala love song of the 2000s, and his concerts have drawn large audiences at venues including the Nelum Pokuna theatre in Colombo. For the Sri Lankan diaspora his romantic ballads remain wedding and playlist staples, which is why Lyrics-lk pairs each song with its Sinhala script, an English transliteration, and a translation of the meaning.