The village lass with a sweet 'hush'

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Emerging from a distant township like Deraniyagala in Kegalla, Shashika Nisansala Jayasumana is today one of the best loved female singers in Sri Lanka. She has hurled herself to stardom in a short time.

It should seem obvious that she has traversed a long way and passed a few hurdles to come to her current stand.

She is shy, unassuming, and alert about her surroundings, a nervous temperament who likes to keep things simple. Young as she is, she has to face the music of stardom which means she will have to make a few decisions of her own in regard to her musical career.

I met Nisansala at her residence at Meegahawatta in Delgoda last Friday. The house has an open-air verandah with half walls, one of which she sat graciously to talk with me.

Nisansala, now you have established yourself in the local music sphere with a few big singles like Paramitha, Nisansala Sandak and Kandulu Bindu under your belt. How do you plan to carry on with your musical career from here?

"Well, I think I will have to think about it first," she shrugged.

The young lady does seems to ignore that she has come a long way.

But don't you think you will have to make serious decisions in order to maintain your standards to be in the limelight of popularity?

"Yes, I admit that," she said as she took a deep breath to fill her lungs.

She is a quiet character alright, but how can she keep quiet? She is a singer. She has brought herself to a stand where her fans are eager to know what she might come out with next.

Shashika Nisansala should learn, the right time has come for her to accelerate her role as a singer.

"I know what I am capable of doing with my voice and its limitations," she said. "I think it is important to release at least one song a year to be in the centre of attraction," she said thoughtfully. She does not seem to get it, because this was what she has been doing over the years before she had cemented her name in the field.

Things are different now and she's just got to step on the gas just at this moment to make the best of her career as a singer. She listened with raised eyebrows and a warm smile.

This is a critical time for her, I'm sure she will do something about it because she knows all she has to do is one thing, sing.

She is modest, got great looks and she owns a figure that complements her style of singing. And she is cool as ever. She's got great parents whom she remembered with utmost gratitude for the support and protection given by them to reach this far. Nisansala has just completed a Fine Arts Special Degree at the Kelaniya University.

She's presently collecting lyrics to release a new CD. But she is yet to find some addresses and telephone numbers of leading lyricists in Sri Lanka. She is slow but steady one would say.

But believe me she is very slow considering the vocal ability she's got. This is what she had to say about the current new wave music that has come from the Western to Sri Lanka: "I welcome all genres of music." "It's a good thing. There is a clientele for rap music in Sri Lanka," she said.

Do you like English lyrics being rapped into Sinhala old songs?

"I do not mind if its done for new songs. But I think it's unfair if one does it to popular old tracks. You just don't have to do it because these songs are popular because they are good."

"However, there are times that when you present an old song with modern music, it comes to be heard and regain its worth among new fans."

Say something about your school?

"Many people think I am a student at Anula College. I came to Anula College after sitting for my OL at Aheliyagoda Dharmapala Maha Vidyalaya where I developed my singing and other music skills," she said.

You can call Nisansala conservative. But I would suspect that. Listen to her voice attentively - you will hear a sweet "hush" that runs thinly with her well-balanced chest and head resonance. The best thing about her voice is the way she carries the melody line to a disciplined end without a break or rush.

If she has anything other than her talent to sing and her skills related to it that is her right attitude towards singing.