In times when cringe content and pop-up stars-by-the-second abound on social media, it’s rare to find a singer whose music has gone viral thanks to sheer talent. Sri Lankan singer-songwriter Yohani (aka Yohani Diloka de Silva) became an overnight sensation with her Sinhalese song, Manike Mage Hithe, last year. It has already clocked 233 million views on YouTube.
Now, she is ready to make a name for herself in India. The 29-year-old artiste has made two smart moves—shifting base to Mumbai from Colombo and just releasing a new Hindi single, Tu Saamne Aaye, with singer Jubin Nautiyal, who had also collaborated on Manike Mage Hithe’s Hindi version for the film Thank God.
Tu Saamne Aaye is a breezy travel number, shot in Leh; it has an electronic beat. Yohani has two more singles lined up with Nautiyal next. “It’s fun working with Jubin. I am looking forward to the upcoming songs,” says the rapper and music producer, who grooves to Billie Eilish, Portishead, Massive Attack and Above & Beyond, when she isn’t making music.
Yohani graduated in accounting from Australia, before starting out on her musical journey in 2019. Her debut single in Sri Lanka, Aaye, was released in 2020 and was received well. So was Sitha Dawuna, which came out the same year; the composer Chamath Sangeeth had done the music for the original Manike song.
An ardent fan of AR Rahman, Pritam, Arijit Singh and Neha Kakkar, Yohani is candid about her plans, “Each artiste here is unique in their own way. Even though I don’t fully understand Hindi, I feel their music. I aspire to have a body of work like them one day.” She is the new blue-eyed girl of the T-Series label, which has been representing her since the Manike version of Thank God.
Not many may know it, but before Manike catapulted Yohani into viral status, she had done the title song for the 2021 T-Series film, Shiddat. Her fond wish is to collaborate with Indian rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh someday. “Maybe we could call the association Yo ‘Yohani’ Singh,” she had quipped in an earlier interview.
Not just Hindi, Yohani is in tune with the rest of India too; her numbers like Po Po Po in Tamil and What’s Happening in Telugu have gone on to become hits. The rehashed version of Jehda Nasha in Punjabi was a chartbuster.
How does Yohani get past language hurdles?
“I get bits and pieces of Hindi, but I still can’t converse in it. I have two teachers who help me go through the pronunciation when I have a song,” she admits, confirming that singing in different languages like Hindi, Tamil and Telugu is a challenge, since it is important to match the accent with the vocal texture.
What are the differences between Indian and Sri Lankan music according to the Sinhalese singer?
“There are many similarities, but the instruments used are different. Sri Lankan music is heavy on percussion, like drums, etc., while Indian music uses a variety of instruments,” says Yohani, who is also working on her upcoming Sinhalese album, comprising 12 tracks composed by her.
Any English album in the offing?
“I’m finding it a bit difficult with the (various) languages I am singing in. Maybe next year, I will work on something in English,” confesses Yohani, who is for now enjoying the vibe of her new home city, Mumbai. “I love the chaos here. Everybody is awake here, all the time. And there are so many opportunities. I am loving it,” she says with her wide-toothed trademark smile.