T M ජයරත්න
96 songs performed
T. M. Jayaratne (also spelled Jayarathne or Jayarathna), ටී.එම්. ජයරත්න, is a Sri Lankan vocalist and violinist whose warm baritone has carried Sinhala film songs and folk-rooted ballads since the early 1970s. Born Tennakoon Mudiyanselage Jayaratne on 13 April 1944 in Dodanwala, he became one of the country’s most prolific playback singers, lending his voice to dozens of films and to standards that remain on radio and at family gatherings decades later.
Jayaratne studied at St. Anthony’s College and Maliyadeva College, and in 1966 he took up work as a music teacher. His path into recording opened when C. J. S. Kulathilaka, who led the folk and research unit at the broadcasting service, invited him to sing Sinhala folk songs for radio. That grounding in folk melody shaped a singing style that stayed close to the language and to traditional tune, rather than chasing trends.
He recorded his first song around 1970, and his playback debut came with “Lahiru Dahasak”, written by Sunil Ariyaratne and composed by Premasiri Khemadasa. The partnership with Khemadasa proved important, and Jayaratne went on to sing for roughly 79 films, including work tied to acclaimed pictures such as Bambaru Awith and Hansa Vilak. His duets, notably with Neela Wickramasinghe, became some of the best-loved pairings of the era.
Many of T. M. Jayarathne’s recordings have settled into the standard Sinhala songbook, ranging from tender love songs to gently philosophical pieces. Among the songs on Lyrics-lk are these performed by him, presented with transliteration and English translation:
Jayaratne received the Presidential Award for best male vocalist in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1987, and was named best male singer at the Raigam Tele Awards in 2006. His son, Isuru Jayarathne, is also a singer. For listeners across the Sinhala diaspora, the appeal of T. M. Jayarathna lies in the unforced sincerity of his delivery, a voice that suits both the cinema screen and the quiet listening of a familiar old recording.
Every Sinhala lyric, composition, and song credit by T.M. Jayarathne.