Culture · 9 of the best in Sri Lanka
Baila, Amaradeva and Manike Mage Hithe: Sri Lankan music
The back story
About Baila, Amaradeva and Manike Mage Hithe: Sri Lankan music
Sri Lankan music mixes the drums of the Kandyan and low-country traditions, Indian classical influences, Portuguese and African rhythms that arrived with the colonial centuries, and modern pop.
Baila
Baila grew from the music brought by the Portuguese and by the Africans who came with them in the 16th century, and from the Afro-Sri Lankan communities who kept those rhythms alive, including the lively kaffirinha dance. Today baila is the island’s party music, played at weddings, parties and festivals, with fast six-eight rhythms, guitars and sing-along choruses.
The great voices
W. D. Amaradeva (1927–2016), singer, violinist and composer, is revered as the father of modern Sinhala music, blending folk melodies with North Indian classical forms. Nanda Malini is one of the island’s most admired singers, known for a voice of great range and expressive control across a long career. Clarence Wijewardena (1943–1996) pioneered Sinhala pop with electric guitars and catchy melodies from the 1960s on.
At any Sri Lankan wedding, sooner or later, the baila starts and everybody dances.
Pop and the new generation
The duo Bathiya & Santhush (BnS) have been among the most popular acts since the late 1990s, mixing Sinhala melodies with modern pop. In 2021 Yohani’s cover of “Manike Mage Hithe” went viral around the world, with hundreds of millions of views, and introduced Sinhala pop to a global audience.
Hearing it live
Hear traditional drumming and dance at the evening Kandyan dance shows in Kandy and at the Esala Perahera, and look out for concerts in Colombo at venues such as the Lionel Wendt.
Our advice: ask your driver to put on some baila, see a Kandyan dance show with its drummers, and listen to Amaradeva on a quiet evening in the hills.
Why it's on our list
- Baila
- The great voices
- Pop and the new generation
- Hearing it live
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Baila, Amaradeva and Manike Mage Hithe: Sri Lankan music before you go.