මිල්ටන් පෙරේරා
68 songs performed
J. A. Milton Perera (ජේ. ඒ. මිල්ටන් පෙරේරා), often listed simply as Milton Perera, was a Sri Lankan singer, composer and playback artist who became the leading male playback voice of Sinhala cinema through the 1960s and 1970s. Born Jayasinghe Arachchige Milton Perera, he sang for many of the era’s biggest screen stars and left a body of romantic and devotional songs that are still played across the Sri Lankan diaspora.
Milton Perera was born on 5 May 1938 in Colombo. His father, J. A. Edwin Perera, known in music circles as Tabla Podi Appuhamy, was an accomplished tabla player, and his mother was Prema Wickramarachchi. Growing up in that household, Milton learned the tabla as a child and went on to handle the harmonium as well, a grounding in rhythm and Hindustani style that shaped his later singing.
Milton Perera entered playback singing in 1961 and spent close to three decades lending his voice to Sinhala films, recording for screen actors including Gamini Fonseka and Vijaya Kumaratunga. His standing was sealed in 1966, when he was named best singer at the Sarasavi Awards and most popular singer of the year at the Golden Sankha Awards. Across his work he moved easily between film romance, pop, soul-tinged numbers and classical-leaning melodies.
Many of his best-loved recordings sit at the heart of mid-century Sinhala film music. Podi Kale Api Denna remains one of his most requested songs, alongside Oba Wewa Wewa and the playful Komala Liya Bolanda Liya (Sikuruliya). He also recorded comic and group numbers with peers such as H. R. Jothipala. Among other Milton Perera songs hosted here are Oba Tharamat Ma Nalawu and Asa Radunu Randunu Thanwala.
J. A. Milton Perera died on 24 October 1991, aged 53. His recordings stayed in steady rotation on Sri Lankan radio, and members of his family, including Priyankara Perera, have kept his repertoire alive in concert. For listeners abroad searching for Milton Perera lyrics, Lyrics-lk presents his songs in the original Sinhala script with English transliteration and translation.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Milton Perera.