Dushan’s ‘Lunu Dehi’ adds more tastes to Lankan music industry

The latest musical outfit to break into the Sri Lankan music scene is ‘Lunu Dehi’. Started just four months ago, ‘Lunu Dehi’ is a breakaway fraction of the popular band Gypsies, led by former Gypsy keyboardist Dushan Jayathilake.

Though ‘Lunu Dehi’ goes as a breakaway fraction of Gypsies, it operates with a heart full blessings from the Gypsies leader Piyal Perera.

After playing keyboards with ‘The Gypsies’ for 19 years, Dushan launched his new band with Nalin Samath, who stepped in to play guitar for Gypsies after the demise of Sunil Perera.

‘I was devastated by the passing away of Sunil Perera. However, I was fortunate enough to meet Nalin Samath, who came in as a singer guitarist to sing Sunil’s popular songs. During Nalin’s year with ‘Gypsies’, we discussed my dream of starting my own band. Sunil had always urged us to work on our original compositions and follow our own unique path’ Dushan explained the beginning of ‘Lunu Dehi’.

Dushan is so keen on doing something of his own and he opened out with the TV Times interview for the first time about his career and ambitions. ‘With Sunil’s words in mind, Nalin and I decided to leave ‘Gypsies’ and strike out on our own. We started our own band, and we’re thrilled to be playing our music for audiences across the country’ he said

‘I’m proud to say that both Sunil and Piyal were empathic and always helped anyone whenever they could. We’re carrying on their legacy by following our dreams and making music that we love’ he added.

Why did you name the band Lunu Dehi?

As the co-founders of the band,

Nalin and I held a meeting about a year ago to come up with a name that would reflect the distinctive sound and style of our music.

During the meeting, we kept in mind all the creative band name ideas suggested by Sunil. Ultimately, it was my wife who came up with the winning name, ‘Lunu Dehi’.

This is perfect since ‘Lunu Deh’i is a side dish used in Sri Lankan cuisine to make food have a bit of a kick to it, the same way our music gives listeners a much-needed kick. Piyal was also delighted with the decision and offered his unwavering support towards our new band.

How did you and Nalin bring your expertise into this?

As a musician with 26 years of experience in the industry, 19 of which were spent playing keyboard with ‘The Gypsie’, I can say that starting my own band was a dream come true. When I met Nalin Samath, who had 35 years of experience in the music industry and was the original guitarist for the country’s leading duo act Bathiya and Santhush, I knew that we had the talent and skill to co-lead a band.

What type of colour has ‘Lunu Dehi’ added to the music industry?

As the lead composer and arranger for our band, I am constantly in awe of the incredible individual talents that each of our members brings to the table. Nalin, in addition to being an accomplished guitarist and vocalist, is a true entertainer, always keeping the crowd engaged and on their feet.

As for myself, I have had the pleasure of composing and arranging music for some of the biggest names in Sri Lankan music, including The Gypsies, BnS, Lakshman Hilmi, and

Chamara Weerasinghe.

Ken Lappen, the son of popular Sri Lankan bassist Joe Lappen, has a gift for composing and arranging pop hits. His work includes ‘Mal Madahasa’ by Randhir and ‘Diasge Nangi’ by Freeze, which is currently a trending song in Sri Lanka.

Thisal Randunu, former guitarist of ‘Naadha Gama’ who has played for prestigious concert experiences such as Kuweni, is our current rhythm guitarist and vocalist. He is also an amazing composer. Nadeeshan, our drummer, has played for a number of bands prior to ‘Lunu Dehi’ and is always eager to learn more about music. TeeJ, our vocalist, has an incredible voice that leans toward the deeper side and can sing in over 10 languages. She participated in the first season of The Voice Sri Lanka in 2021 and is also a talented songwriter and composer.

Where can we watch Lunu Dehi in action?

Our musical journey began with our first gig at a BnS show held in Polonnaruwa. Since then, we have collaborated with BnS at concerts and have become known for our unique sound and energetic performances.

We are excited to announce that we will be backing BnS at their upcoming North America and UK tour in 2024. This is a huge milestone for our band, and we cannot wait to share our music with new audiences around the world.

What does the future look like for ‘Lunu Dehi’?

We at ‘Lunu Dehi’ kick started our debut with the song ‘Rice and Curry’. As of now, we have yet to put out more originals. Our focus has been on performing refined cover versions of songs for our events, as one typically does.