Ranidu Lankage ( Sinhala:රනිදු ලංකාගේ) is a

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language prima ...

R&B and hip hop artist who raised the international profile of Sinhalese RnB/pop.Weerasuriya, Sanath. (2007-03-25
Dance to the music of Ranidu, By Sanath Weerasuriya, Sundaytimes
Sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved on 2017-01-17. Lankage is the first Sinhalese artist to be played on BBC Radio 1 and the creator of the first Sinhalese single to be played on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and channel V and Z music India. He is a graduate in Economics from Yale University.

Education

Ranidu was educated at the

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

, where he was ranked, Third in Colombo district in the competitive General Certificate of Education Advanced Level exam in 2000 and went on to study economics at Yale University.

Career

Lankage has produced hits that have revolutionised Sri Lankan music. In 2007, DeLon's single "Nasty Girl" debuted at No.36 on the Billboard Charts.Top Music Charts – Hot 100 – Billboard 200 – Music Genre Sales
/ref> Lankage's first single with Ashanthi, "Oba magemai," gained popularity and made Ranidu & Ashanthi the youngest Sri Lankan artists to be signed by an international record label, Sony Music India. Ranidu followed his first single with four Top 20 hits: "Obe ath allagena," "Sinasenna," "Kandulen midee" and "Sadaa." The "Oba Magemai" (You're mine) album, released through

M Entertainments M, or m, is the thirteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''em'' (pronounced ), plural ''ems''. History Th ...

label was one of the top-selling albums in Sri Lanka.Ranidu, The Official Artist Page
Desihits.com. Retrieved on 2017-01-17. The song also charted on the BBC's Asian Music list, which led to its becoming the first Sinhalese single to be included in an internationally distributed compilation,.It became one of the most successful albums by a Sri Lankan artist of all time. Lankage followed up with "Kelle," which landed on the BBC Asian Chart, received rave reviews, and got worldwide airplay. The album "Iraj" featured three tracks by Lankage, "Ninda noyana handawe", "Madumathiye" and "Playas lounge". Composed and sung by Lankage, "Ninda noyanawas" was the most popular love ballad to come out in 2005. In March 2005, Lankage performed at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

in Australia with Iraj Weeraratne and his group. That summer, Ranidu embarked on his first major tour in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

; all shows were successful. Ranidu collaborated with Iraj to produce " Mata Aloke Genadevi Sansaraye," a Sri Lankan No. 1 that was aired on BBC Radio 1, BBC Asian Network,

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...

. Aloke was also included in the "Bombay Bronx" compilation by the BBC's DJ and Ranidu and Iraj's mentor DJ Nihal. Ranidu appeared on the

Adil Ray Adil Ray ( ur, عادل رے, born 26 April 1974) is a British actor, comedian and radio/television presenter. Ray stars in the BBC One comedy '' Citizen Khan'', which he created and co-writes, as well as presenting on various BBC radio station ...

show of the BBC's Asian network to promote the single's inclusion in the station's main playlist. Ranidu's self-titled third album, which contains Sinhalese Neo Soul, Asian hip hop and reggae music, is the first to combine Sri Lankan music with American- and Caribbean-style Rap. Ranidu sang all the vocals and produced all the tracks. Ranidu collaborated with many artists on this album including Iraj, West coast Rapper DeLon, Anson of the

DID Crew Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

from Trinidad, Holee Smokez and the

MDT crew MDT may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Medtronic, an Irish medical technology company * Minnesota Dance Theatre, a dance school and company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States * MDT Armor Corporation, an American military equipmen ...

from New York, Yohan Rakapakse, Yauwanan,

Ranga D Ranga may refer to: * Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy (1890–1970), Indian politician in Andhra Pradesh, participant in the Telangana rebellion * N G Ranga, Indian leader * Ranga Sohoni (1918–1993), Indian Test cricketer * S. V. Ranga Rao (1918–197 ...

and many more. One song, "Herde Keniththuwa" produced by Iraj, was the theme for the 2006 movie "Anjalika". The first official single "Paa salamba sala- ft Anson" was released on Radio 1 and BBC Asian Network in December 2006 and was the first Sinhalese single to be on the "A” list of the Asian network. Lyrics for the album were provided by Bandula Nanayakkarawasam, Chanaka Jayasekera, Kelum Shreemal, Vasantha Dukgannarala and a childhood friend of Ranidu's Anuradha Uduwage. Ranidu along with Iraj and the crew toured the United States, Canada, Australia, Dubai, Cyprus and the UK in support of the album . He is widely known for introducing Bailatronic.

References

External links

Ranidu's Official YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankage, Ranidu 1982 births Living people Sinhalese singers Sinhalese musicians Sri Lankan singer-songwriters Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Yale University alumni