ප්රියානි ජයසින්හ
3 songs performed
Priyani Jayasinghe (ප්රියානි ජයසිංහ; 10 June 1967 to 8 July 2018) was a Sri Lankan singer and composer, remembered above all for her recording of Kandula Niwannam, a song so closely tied to her voice that it later titled her debut album.
Jayasinghe was born in Panadura, on Sri Lanka’s western coast, and studied at Walana Mahanama Maha Vidyalaya in the town. Music ran in the family: her uncle was the composer and arranger Rohana Weerasinghe, one of the most prolific figures in Sinhala film and stage music. She began performing in the early 1990s, training under the singers Edward Jayakody and Wijesena Kodippili, and went on to earn A-grade status as a vocalist at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
Her first concert came in 1992, and in 1996 she released her debut CD, Kandula Niwannam, built around the title track written and composed by Ashoka Kovilage. The song became her signature, a slow, grief-touched ballad whose title translates roughly to “wipe away the tears.” Its enduring popularity is clear on Lyrics-lk, which hosts both the original and a later remake. Jayasinghe worked across pop, soul, and Indian-influenced melodic styles, and continued performing into the 2010s, holding a concert as recently as January 2016.
Among her other widely played recordings are “Sundara Hadakata Dee” and “Aluth Sanda Awith,” titles still requested by listeners decades after their release.
Priyani Jayasinghe died in Colombo on 8 July 2018 at the age of 51. Her catalogue, centred on the much-loved Kandula Niwannam, remains a staple of Sinhala easy-listening playlists, and her warm, unhurried delivery keeps her songs in circulation among Sri Lankan listeners at home and across the diaspora.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Priyani Jayasinghe.