Lankan Plug is starting with a bang this year, as we humbly present to you one of the freshest musicians in Sri Lankan Music History - Amelia Wijesooriya. You may know her for taking part in the very popular Reality Show “The Voice Teens Sri Lanka” just last year! She is the youngest English Songwriter and Composer in Sri Lanka and her first ever single took her musical adventure to great excessive heights!
Today, we’ll be looking at the artiste’s life through the eyes of a 13-year-old, identifying the many possible challenges and incredible achievements a soulful talent like Amelia tends to face in our absolutely colourful Music Industry.
The young singer began her journey at the age of 5 and went on to take further steps to improve her vocal ability by attending professional training at the age of 11. Currently, Amelia is being trained under the infamous music personality, Umara Sinhawansa, ever since she finished her glory days at The Voice Teens Sri Lanka. Her usual style of music is English Pop and at times, she finds Baila to be a very good mood fixer-upper to be performed on stage.
“During the competition, I learned a lot about vocal exercises, stage performance, a bit about the music industry etc., all thanks to Coach Raini who profoundly helped me in improving my singing” she mentioned. Amelia very heavily emphasized on constant practice- “Practicing is my life; without practicing, we will never be able to attempt any difficult songs”. She told us that she trains her voice at least three hours a day and she allocates two hours from that time to practice her songs.
The Voice Teens competition came with its challenges; being the bold and forward girl Amelia is, she was able to bravely face these obstacles and input a massive amount of hard work and dedication in getting what she wants. She told us how in every round held, an ample volume of issues rose and how she used a different tactic or technique to battle each one of it wholesomely. Even the whole process was rather difficult to endure at times (i.e.: practicing a new song, rehearsing, building up stage presence, costume rehearsals etc.).
The nationwide competition was also becoming more and more fierce with the Battle Rounds, Knockout Rounds, Semi Finals and even with the Grand Finale. Especially when having to compete with other fellow participants, Amelia gave a rather enormous fight with all her capabilities to have gone very far in this race.
What we really should be talking about is Amelia’s killer debut “I Wanna Fly”. Written and composed by herself, Amelia dedicates this song to her fans passionately. Music Production along with Mixing & Mastering was conducted by Kasun Wickramasinghe while the Piano and Keyboard arrangements were done by Pahan Sandeepa. The guitar was played by Dilruk Samaradiwakara, respectively. This song is made with means of thanking her fans for their unconditional support and endless voting ever since she started competing on The Voice Teens.
“I Wanna Fly” is up on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music etc. as well as on YouTube! Amelia received many amazing responses for her original work and her song is currently being played on radio stations, namely YES FM, Sirasa FM, Y FM, and even on Sirasa TV!
As a debut artist, this musical soul cannot be prouder of herself! She was able to receive love and affection beyond what she had imagined and the level of effort & dedication she put in to make her dreams come true paid off magnificently! Amelia would like to thank, first and foremost, her parents and her grandmother and grandfather who she very dearly calls “Ammamma” and “Siyathaththa”. She would also like to convey thanks to her relatives and Raini Goonathilake, the most aspiring coach she ever had the privilege of working with throughout her ‘Voice Teens’ journey. Further, she would like to humbly remember her alma mater, Leeds International, who have collectively planned and carried out many promotional campaigns in order to support her all throughout. Last but certainly not least, she conveys her cordial thanks to Sirasa TV for rewarding her with an opportunity that changed her life forever!
Here are her social media handles for you to follow-up on her upcoming music;
Instagram: @ameliawijesooriyaofficial
YouTube: Amelia Wijesooriya
Facebook Page: Amelia Wijesooriya
The 13-year-old Singer has some sound advice for everyone who wants to pursue and uplift their dreams to greater lengths:
“Every artist must study and practice, do their homework which will assist us to not be afraid when facing a hard task or even when something new pops up. Build up a great, strong personality and try to create a unique name for yourself!”
