‘NOT JUST AIMING FOR VIEWS’

Yohani, whose cover of Manike Mage Hithe went viral, talks about the pressure of delivering a hit again

Sri Lankan singer Yohani’s song, Manike Mage Hithe, is perhaps the most recent example of music transcending borders. Many of us don’t even know the meaning of the lyrics, yet we’ve heard it at least once on Instagram reels. The Sinhalese song has gone viral, crossing 100 million views on YouTube, and climbing many chartbuster lists. For the 28year-old singer, the response has actually also brought along with it some pressure: To deliver a hit like this again.

“That’s a big problem for us,” she admits, “I’m not a person who’s aiming for the views as much, I usually produce the songs that I like, according to my taste. I hope you guys will like the next one. I’m not too sure.”

Manike Mage Hithe, which translates to Baby In My Heart, has found such a fanbase in India, that many celebrities have been raving about it, too. Talking to us over a video call, an excited Yohani says, “All of them have reposted and shared it... Amitabh Bachchan, Tiger Shroff, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Priyanka Chopra Jonas. It’s amazing!”

What comes as a surprise is that it just took five years for Yohani to reach this stage in her career. However, initially, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to pursue music professionally. “I was doing accounting... I started with covers of songs on my YouTube channel, then moved on to originals, and now it’s just a bit of both. The growth has been really amazing,” she gushes.

Viral song, fame, fans — what’s next on the list? Yohani exclaims, “My immediate one is my album... I’m done with it. I just have to release it. If I think about a little further, I want to perform live for, like, hundreds of thousands of people one day, maybe.”

I want to perform live for, like, hundreds of thousands of people one day, maybe.

YOHANI, Singer