Yohani

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Yohani Diloka de Silva (Sinhala: යොහානි දිලෝකා ද සිල්වා; born 30 July 1993) is a Sri Lankan singer, songwriter, rapper, music producer, and YouTuber.^[1][2][3] She is also famous on TikTok and a businesswoman of musical instruments imports and exports.^{[4][5][6][failed verification]}

She started her music career as a YouTuber. She soon gained recognition for her rap cover of ‘Deviyange Bare’ and released many covers of her singing and rapping which have earned her the title “Rap Princess” of Sri Lanka.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} She rose to prominence and gained global recognition for her cover of "Manike Mage Hithe".^{[12][13][14][15][2][16][17][18]}

She also became the first Sri Lankan female singer to surpass a total of 3.38 million subscribers on YouTube.^[19][20] This time the Sri Lankan singer sang in Bollywood movies^[which?]. In an interview, Yohani de Silva said that she likes Bollywood songs very much.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Yohani has also learned Hindi as she wants to sing Bollywood songs. On the day of expressing that wish, her hopes were really fulfilled in a few days. She recorded the song for the Bollywood film Shiddat on September 29, 2021.^{[25][unreliable source?][26]}

Personal life[]

Yohani was born on 30 July 1993 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.^[27][28] She is the daughter of a former Army officer Major General Prasanna de Silva and his wife Dinithi de Silva who is a former cabin crew member at Sri Lankan Airlines.^{[29][30][31][32][33]} She is a Buddhist. She practiced buddhism from her early life.^[34]

Yohani has one younger sister, Shavindri de Silva, who is currently studying medicine to pursue her passion as a doctor.^{[35][36][37][38]} Due to their father's military background, both girls grew up in various places including Colombo District, different Army bases in Sri Lanka.^{[39][40][41][42]}

Yohani's interest and practice in music started early on in life,^[43][44][45] and it was her mother who identified her keenness and prompted her to pursue this passion at a young age.^{[46][47][48] [19]} She grew up in a family background surrounded by her parents' love of music as they often listened to the music of BeeGees, SpiceGirls, AR Rahman and Elton John.^[49]

She was also heavily involved in sports, as a celebrated swimmer, wushu fighter and water polo player at Visakha Vidyalaya eventually leading to her becoming a school colours holder. Her years in the United Kingdom right after school helped broaden her horizons of the world as well as music.^{[50][51][52][53]}

Yohani completed her higher education in Logistics Management and Professional Accounting from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University prior to pursuing her career in music as an artist.^{[54][55][56][57][58]} She also obtained a master's degree in accounting from CQUniversity Australia.^[19][59][60]

Career[]

Yohani's music career took centre stage upon her return to Sri Lanka in March 2019.^{[61][62][63][64][65]} She joined Pettah effect, a record label that was co-founded by Dilanjan, and had much young talent running the show.^[66][67][68] In February 2020,^{[69][70][71][72][73]} Prima Kottu Mee signed Yohani as their Brand Ambassador for two years,^{[74][75][76][77]} which stands to be one of her first-ever significant brand endorsements.^{[78][79][80][81]}

In the months that followed, Yohani got signed by Red Bull Records for a single, and her debut single ‘Aaye’ premiered in August 2020. An unexpected twist for her fan base, Aaye dove deep into her personal journey; her experience in the industry and the public eye.^{[82][83][84][85][86][87]}

The latter part of 2020 saw Yohani reviving the nation with her songs.^[88][89][90] The second such being Sitha Dawuna a collaboration with Chamath Sangeeth in September 2020.^{[91][92][93][94][95]}

The third being a song that reverberated a wave of emotion through the citizens who endured a 30-year war on the island,^[96][97][98] especially those connected to the military personnel that fought in the front lines.^{[99][100][101][102][103][104]}

She took the highest number of views of 200 million views for a YouTube video "Manike Mage Hithe" cover song in May 2021.^{[105][106][107][108][109]} She had also completed her debut Sinhala album which features twelve songs and plans to launch it during a live concert around December 2021.^{[19][94][110][111]} She also was featured in Bigg Boss season 15 where she performed her famous song "Manike Mage Hithe" with Salman Khan.^[112]

She also was featured in a Colors TV Quiz Show “The Big Picture” where she performed her famous song "Manike Mage Hithe" with Ranveer Singh. She made her debut overseas tour as a music artiste to Hyderabad in India in October 2021 in order to perform in a live concert with her band.^[113][114] It was revealed that she had knocked her face on a guitar accidentally while performing on stage in Hyderabad which resulted in a minor injury.^[115]

Discography[]

Originals[]

Bollywood Film[]

References[]