Those of us who were born in the ’90s are slowly hitting the 30-year mark, but just only 15 years ago, we were young adults. It was quite a transition period as the internet usage in Sri Lanka was booming, among other things. For example, we’ve seen old-fashioned television shows as well as new reality shows. While reading teenage novels about heroism, some went on the internet with a dial-up connection and created an account on Facebook.
The entertainment industry was evolving at a rapid pace, and that made a huge impact on us young adults. We were the first generation to experience the changed aspects of the entertainment industry, and the last generation to experience the previous era of entertainment as well.
The music that was made during this time period managed to drive us nuts! It could be probably because we were also going through a massive transition with age.
Back then, we didn’t have phones, iPads or iPods, so it wasn’t easy for us to find or listen to these songs, especially if you don’t have an internet connection, or come from a very conservative family who gives you the stink eye because they’re “”rasthiyaadukaara”” songs with no meanings (however, now they believe that these songs are better than the boot songs we hear these days).
Our only chance to listen to them was the radio of the school van/bus, especially Y FM channel, or a music chart show on television. It was the peak time of the local boy bands; there were so many back then. Unfortunately, the majority of them are inactive now, but it takes only a piece of their intro music for us to reminiscent the simple life we had back then.
B ‘N’ S
This is how it all began, don’t you think? Many boy bands have come and gone, but this duo, with over 50 number-one hit singles, 6 platinum-selling mainstream albums, 4 commercially successful EPs and countless movie soundtracks, is still going strong, and we still love them like the first day!
20 years and counting, they’ve made a name with many remarkable achievements in the music industry, at both local and global level.
Daddy
Daddy made their debut by releasing “”Mage Massina”” music video, and the crowd went wild. So much so, their next song “”Borukaari”” followed suit, while “”Chandrayan Pidu,”” “”Aradhana,””SMS,”” “”Tiken Tika, “”Jeewithe Windinna,”” and “”Arabiya”” were also instant hits. Back then it was comprised of only 5 members – Gayan Perera, Nimantha Kaluarachichie, Viresh Cooray, Shamila Siriwardana and Dilan Hettiarachchi, but now they have 7. Gayan and Dilan aren’t in the band anymore, but Daddy is still grooving.
Doctor
The hilarious “”Mage Girlfriend”” music video was all it took for us to follow Doctor. Some of their other popular hits include “”Aya Ena Thuraa,”” and “”Nawa Pituwak.”” Headed by Lanthra Perera, Doctor has made a name as a killer wedding band too.
D-Tap
D-Tap was initiated by two school friends, Dayan Aravinda and Tharindu Roshan. “”Neth Konin,”” “”Landu,”” and “”Hade Sithum,”” were their hit songs back then.
6th Lane
6th Lane came to the industry with their album “”Nirwanaya”” which was comprised of nice tunes like “”Mal Peththak Se,”” “”Nithambani,”” and “”Sandu Raathri.”” Hiran Thenuwara, Tharaka Karunanayake and Chamath Perera (now Fill T) were three of the members of this band. Their song “”Amma”” is popular, even to this day. In 2018, they made a comeback after a decade of silence, by composing the song “”Samada.””
Prathab – Shamir
Oh, man! Remember “”Heena Rate Kinnaraawee?”” Music holds no language barriers, which is why we instantly fell in love with the songs done by Prathab and Shamir, including the aforementioned. They also collaborated with some of the popular stars and boy bands at the time, such as Sachith Peiris, Gajen and Dinesh.
Gajan – Dinesh
“”Cross Culture”” and “”Suranganee,”” boy oh boy, weren’t we crazy about them! Composed by Gajen and Dinesh, these songs had lyrics in all three languages – Sinhala, Tamil and English, proving that language isn’t a concern when it comes to good music.
After a while, Gajen left to Australia, while Dinesh got the opportunity to work with A. R. Rahman and became quite popular in India under his new title, ADK (stands for Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam; his full name).
Sachin – Rakitha – Eranga
If you don’t remember these three names, or an album named “”Tharu Keta,”” listen to the song above. The intro itself is enough for us to drown in nostalgia. Aside from Sachin, Rakitha and Eranga, Teesha collaborated with them for the vocals of this one.
Romesh – Lakshan
Romesh and Lakshan stole our hearts with their tunes like “”Nethu Saluna,”” “”Wasanthaye Sitha Saluna,”” “”Neela Daase Dutuwa,”” and “”Sandakomali.”” Their album was also named “”Sandakomali”” due to the popularity it gained. Romesh is still active in the industry.
Centigradz
Centigradz is still playing in the field, but unfortunately, none of their recent creations can beat the love we have for the songs in “”Urumaya”” and “”Roosiri”” albums. It was started off with 4 members – Thusith Niroshana, Amila Niroshan, Udaya Sri Wickremasinghe and Ishantha Lantra, but after a while, Udaya left the band. Many believe that it hasn’t been the same for the band afterwards.
B-Positive
B-Positive entered the industry with the song “”Aseemithai Adare”” and the youth loved it. They did a couple of other songs too, like “”Dum Dum Reli Reli,”” “”Sorabora Wewa”” and “”Saman Malui Rosa Malui.””
