The fourth edition of Naada Gama Live in Concert, a melodious musical evening will come alive on Sunday July 21, 5pm at the Dutch Hospital premises, Colombo.
Naada Gama is not a strange name for urban music lovers and the local music scene. Rather, it has created its brand name within a very short time span. A bunch of equally talented young vocalists - Ridma Weerawardana, Dinupa Kodagoda, Methun SK, Supun Perera and Dinesh Gamage, known for their contribution to the music industry, decided to put together their talents and create something mesmerising for the Sri Lankan concert scene. Although they share a similar passion and causes of inspiration for music, the ‘famous five’ sing their own genres they are good at. The five different vibrant styles on stage could capture audiences and that could be a reason behind their success within a very few months.
Methun SK, conceptualised Naada Gama and the first gig was held at Dutchman’s Street, Matara. The experimental, casual gig with Methun, Ridma and Dinesh participating was quite a success and since then there’s been no turning back for them. As a result Naada Gama has been held at Ape Gama Baththaramulla, NSBM Campus and Mahawali Reach Hotel, Kandy. More shows in Galle and Kandy with its first overseas tour in October in Sydney, Australia are on the cards. Nada Gama Live in Concert is a hybrid version of the traditional Paduru Party and a pop concert. It will be something new to the Sri Lankan music scene. We want to interact with the audience like at a Paduru Party. In a concert format the artiste’s chances if intimacy with the audience is limited.When designing the format of the show we were quite concerned about how it would work with the audience we are catering to. Although it’s very casual, content wise it’s very diverse and unique,” said Ridma Weerawardana.
Vocalists of Naada Gama were known mostly for cover versions. Later, they brought in real gems of their own. Most times music goes as a collaborative form of art as vocalists have to depend on lyricists and musicians. However, in every vocalist’s life there’s this one destined moment where you get a single that’s nothing short of absolute perfection. Ridma and Dinupa were hit by this ‘absolute perfection’ moment with the duet Kuweniye, with perfect lyrics, melody, vocals the brilliant music video which won the hearts of music fanatics and reached over 2.5 million hits on Youtube. Supun Perera’s Radhavani, Methun SK’s Sasaren aa Mithura, Dinesh Gamage’s Oyai Mamai are singles that resonate in listeners’ minds. The aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks brought a huge downfall for the entertainment industry. “The whole nation was terrified by the brutal attack and although things are back to normal it will take few more months to recover completely. We think it’s important to support people to come out from the traumatic experience and music is a good medium for recovery,” said Methun.
“Through Naada Gama Live in Concert we want to create a chillout Sunday vibe where you can listen to your favourite mix of light songs in Sinhala, Tamil and Hindi, while sipping your evening cup of tea or coffee. We prefer to have our shows on Sundays as it’s the chillout day for almost everyone. Naada Gama is a series of pocket concerts where we limit our audience to a maximum of 500. We wanted to introduce an alternative setup contrary to main stream concerts. This kind of setup cannot be easily exploited by the main stream music scene. We sing our original songs and Hindi, Tamil and Sinhala covers. The concert is moderated by Madhuranga Wijesekara and we try to keep the audience entertained with good music and good vibes,” said Dinesh. Miracle one of the finest bands in Sri Lanka joins the team of Naada Gama to delight the audience with their fabulous music. Young, talented musician Ranil Gunawardena, pianist Ruwini Serasinghe and flutist Vayanaka also will join the team to add more colour and vibrant energy to the event. Naada Gama is all about the combination of all these artistes and the vibes they create on stage. Undoubtedly its fourth edition will surely be a melodious night that you have always dreamt about and something you shouldn’t miss out. Mark your calendar and reserve your seat for a chillout Sunday evening next week.
