Somathilaka Jayamaha

Somathilaka Jayamaha (සොමතිලක ජයමහ) is a Sri Lankan singer, composer, and lyricist whose gentle, melody-led recordings have made him a quietly enduring name in Sinhala light music. He is known for devotional and love songs such as Budu Piyanane, Manamala Girawu, and Dasa Bimbara Mara Senaga, several of which he both sang and set to music himself.

Career

Jayamaha came to music after a long working life, having spent close to four decades in state service before devoting himself more fully to singing and songwriting. That late, unhurried turn to a full musical life shapes how he is often described: a composer who treats the song rather than the spotlight as the point.

He works across all three creative roles. On Lyrics-lk he appears as the performer on dozens of recordings, and as the composer and lyricist on songs including Budu Piyanane, Manamala Girawu, and Dasa Bimbara Mara Senaga, writing both the words and the melody for parts of his own catalogue.

Signature songs and collaborations

One of his most recognised recordings is the duet Piyaman Keruwemu with Neela Wickramasinghe, one of the leading voices of Sinhala playback and stage song. His devotional piece Budu Piyanane (බුදු පියානනේ) and the narrative Dasa Bimbara Mara Senaga are among the songs listeners most often associate with his name.

Notable songs on Lyrics-lk

• Budu Piyanane
• Manamala Girawu
• Dasa Bimbara Mara Senaga
• Piyaman Keruwemu (with Neela Wickramasinghe)
• Sanda Andura Lowa
• Wathsunu Suwandin
• Adaraye Unusuma Langa

Style and legacy

Jayamaha’s recordings sit in the soft, lyric-first tradition of Sinhala light music, favouring clear melody, devotional and romantic themes, and unforced delivery over showmanship. Lyrics-lk hosts more than forty of his songs with Sinhala lyrics and English translation, keeping the catalogue of a singer often described as a fine gentleman artist accessible to listeners at home and across the diaspora.