Nuwan Gunawardhane

Nuwan Gunawardana (also spelled Nuwan Gunawardhane), නුවන් ගුණවර්ධන, was a Sri Lankan singer, musician, and composer best known as a concert performer and for popular numbers such as Kiri Muhudu Werale and Pawanak Se. He was born on 13 May 1949 and died on 8 December 2022 at the age of 73.

From Air Ceylon to the stage

Before music became his livelihood, Gunawardana trained and worked as an aircraft mechanical engineer for Air Ceylon, singing as a hobby alongside his day job. The sound engineer Mervyn Baines noticed his voice and steered him toward film background vocals, which opened the door to a professional singing career.

Career and rise

Nuwan Gunawardhane rose to prominence through the 1980s and 1990s, building a following partly on his renditions of popular Hindi songs and later establishing himself as a sought-after concert singer in Sri Lanka. His warm, melodic style suited both the cover repertoire that first drew audiences and the Sinhala songs that kept them.

Signature songs on Lyrics-lk

His best-loved recording remains Kiri Muhudu Werale Nelavi Tharanga (also listed as Kiri Moodu Werale), a song for which he is credited as performer, composer, and lyricist. Lyrics-lk also hosts his version of the much-covered Pawanak Se, alongside several other recordings.

• Kiri Muhudu Werale Nelavi Tharanga
• Kiri Moodu Werale
• Pawanak Se
• Ma Pathu Loke
• Hithata Hitha
• Yayen Yaye
• La Sanda Eliye

Behind the microphone

Gunawardana also worked as a composer for other artists. His compositions include songs recorded by Chamara Thusitha and Uresha Ravihari, reflecting a career that extended beyond his own performances into shaping music for the next generation of singers.

Legacy

His son, the actor and singer Gayan Gunawardana, continued the family’s presence in Sri Lankan entertainment. Nuwan Gunawardhane is remembered by listeners for a catalogue that bridged Hindi-influenced popular song and Sinhala concert favourites, with Kiri Muhudu Werale enduring as his most recognised work.