ප්රියන්ත ප්රනාන්දු
5 songs performed · 1 composition
Priyantha Fernando (ප්රියන්ත ප්රනාන්දු) was a Sri Lankan singer best known for carrying forward the songs of his father, the pioneering vocalist C. T. Fernando, while building a popular concert career of his own. Born in 1952, he became a regular crowd-drawer at musical shows in Sri Lanka and among diaspora audiences abroad.
Priyantha Fernando was the son of Cyril Tudor Fernando (1921 to 1977), the singer and composer widely remembered as one of the first popular voices of modern Sinhala song. Growing up in that household placed Priyantha close to a catalogue of much-loved standards from an early age, and his own singing was shaped by his father’s melodic, lyrical style.
Priyantha Fernando built much of his repertoire around his father’s well-known numbers, reviving them for new generations of concertgoers while also recording songs under his own name. He toured widely, performing for Sri Lankan communities at home and overseas, and released compilation recordings including the Non Stop Priyantha Fernando series in the late 1990s. Alongside performing, he also worked as a composer; the romantic ballad Adarayaka Arutha, recorded by Wasana Maduwanthi, carries his music.
Among the recordings most associated with Priyantha Fernando is Werale Muhudu Ralle (වෙරළේ මුහුදු රැල්ලේ), a gentle song in praise of the coast and countryside that appears on the Sigiri Sukumaliye collections. He is also remembered for Sunila Waralasa Mudanni and a string of titles drawn from the family songbook.
Songs by Priyantha Fernando featured on Lyrics-lk, with Sinhala lyrics and English translation, include:
Priyantha Fernando died on 1 May 2018 at the age of 65, after falling ill, and was laid to rest at Mount Lavinia. He is survived by two sons. By keeping his father’s melodies in active performance for decades, Priyantha Fernando helped a generation of listeners stay connected to a foundational chapter of Sinhala popular music.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Priyantha Fernando.