සුනිල් පෙරේරා
8 songs performed · 2 compositions
Sunil Perera (සුනිල් පෙරේරා), born Uswatta Liyanage Ivor Sylvester Sunil Perera, was a Sri Lankan singer, bassist and bandleader best remembered as the voice and frontman of The Gypsies. Known across Sri Lanka and the diaspora as the “Baila Cakrawarti” (master of baila), he turned a colonial-era dance genre into sharp, funny commentary on Sri Lankan life and politics.
Perera was born on 14 September 1952 in Narahenpita, then Ceylon, one of a large family of ten children. The Gypsies began as his father’s group, and Sunil joined alongside his brothers before stepping forward as leader and lead vocalist. Under him the band grew into one of the most recognisable live acts in the country.
Working with The Gypsies, Perera built a catalogue of catchy, plainly worded songs that ordinary listeners could sing back instantly. Early hits such as Linda Langa Sangamaya date from the band’s first years in the 1970s, while later work leaned into satire. His best-known song, “Signore” (1997), gives voice to a defeated politician berating the voters who abandoned him; Lyrics-lk hosts it as Singnore. Other recordings on the site include Sarama, Owath Wadada, and the patriotic theme Nagitimu Sri Lanka.
Perera was a stalwart of baila, the up-tempo dance music that survives in Sri Lanka from the Portuguese colonial era, and he blended it with pop, soul and reggae. Off stage he was outspoken in a way few entertainers were, addressing corruption, election violence and social taboos directly through humour. Several Gypsies songs were banned from state media for their political bite, a fact that only widened their following.
Sunil Perera died on 6 September 2021 in Colombo, aged 68, of complications related to COVID-19. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Sri Lankan popular music, both for making baila a vehicle for social commentary and for a stage presence that defined a generation of party and wedding playlists. His writing for The Gypsies also lives on in songs he composed, including Kussiye and Eya Meya.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by Sunil Perera.