Top 10 Greatest Male Sri Lankan Singers

If you enjoy Sinhala songs and listen to them at home, in the car, or even on your phone while walking, then you already know how important male singers are in Sri Lankan music. Some singers have been loved for many years, while others are more recent and bring new sounds. Their songs are part of daily life in Sri Lanka and have touched many people. This list is here so you can help choose the greatest male singers by voting for your favorites.

Many people have already voted, and now it is your chance. You might like the older singers whose voices feel full of emotion and meaning. Or maybe you enjoy the newer artists who mix modern music with traditional Sinhala style. It doesn't matter which you prefer. Your vote helps decide which singers are the most loved by fans like you.

The Top Ten

Milton Mallawarachchi

Milton never sang a bad song. He had all his presentations so good. He could do a fast-paced song or slow-paced song and make them all sound absolutely perfect. He had something in his voice that many singers don't. He was an artist with his voice, painting a pretty picture, and unlike most singers, he didn't need autotune or even music to show how great his voice really was.

He is the singer who sang the best love and sad songs.

Milton Mallawarachchi was one of the best and most respected singers in Sri Lanka. He had a perfect voice. Every one of his songs was filled with good lyrics, good music, and his great, nice voice.
W. D. Amaradeva

He is Sri Lanka's best vocalist. There's no one who could even touch his vocal range. He is the creator of modern Sinhalese music, having the capability of singing both classical ragadhari and Western styles.
Following are some of his achievements:
All India Violin Champion - 1955
Composed Maldivian National Anthem - 1972
Composed classical and Western styles of music.
Sanath Nandasiri
Iraj

Iraj revolutionized the hip-hop music industry in Sri Lanka. He is an all-in-one product. He can sing, compose music, and do TV shows. I like Iraj because he has a good personality.

He is the best producer in Sri Lanka. He helped Sri Lankan poor people every time.
Mervyn Perera
Sunil Shantha

Pivotal musician. Should really rank higher on the list. Important figure in Sri Lankan culture.
T. M. Jayaratne
Kasun Kalhara Jayawardhana

A perfect singer with an amazing voice. Most Sri Lankan singers can't sing live. Their voices are bad for many reasons, so they use technology to cover their terrible singing. But Kasun has an inborn talent to sing. He doesn't need technology. He sings perfectly. Best singer without any argument.

Sir Kasun Kalhara is the number one singer in Sri Lanka without any argument! Nothing can be compared to his amazing voice and his beautiful compositions. He is a multitalented and creative person.
A proper singer is a person who can change the world into a better place with a kind heart and a helping hand, and he is one of them. That makes him unique from the rest. He is simply the best!
Sadeepa.
Tyrone Maddumage

Tyronne Maddumage has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard! Truly an amazing and gifted singer. He is fabulous on recordings, but to experience his vocals live is a definite must! I was completely blown away by his anthem Hela Viruwan Visu Lanka with all the cricketers. I think his voice just gets better and stronger each time.
He has such power and high range, which in my humble opinion is unbeatable. He has the ability to carry those soaring choruses and yet convey such heart-wrenching emotion that makes my spine tingle like no one else I have ever heard. Tyronne Maddumage definitely gets my vote!

The art of patriotic singing has two chapters: Before Tyronne and After Tyronne. Though Bathiya and Santhush created patriotic singing, it was Tyronne Maddumage who showed the Sri Lankan people its power.
C. T. Fernando

The Newcomers

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Nihal Nelson

Nihal Nelson was a Sri Lankan vocalist, songwriter, and composer. One of the most influential singers in Sri Lanka, and considered undefeated on the concert stage, Nelson holds the record for the most albums recorded by a Sri Lankan artist, with a total of 113.
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Somathilaka Jayamaha

Nobody embodies more fully the connection between Sri Lankan spiritual rock, R&B, and rock and roll than Somathilaka Jayamaha! The way he transforms hardships and sorrow into something full of beauty, vitality, and hope in Sri Lankan history is unmatched.
That's why, when Somathilaka sits down at the piano and sings සැඳෑ අඳුර ලොව ගලන වෙලාවට, grabs his electric guitar cranked all the way up and sings පොඩි දුවගේ සිනා වැලයි, or smashes those drums and sings දස බිම්බර මාර සෙනඟ, he can move me to tears. His music captures the fullness of the musical experience - the view from the bottom as well as the top, the good and the bad, the power, the expression, and the possibility of synthesis, reconciliation, transcendence, and hallucination.

The Contenders

Sunil Edirisinghe

Best singer ever, best meaning.
H. R. Jothipala

No one can break his records. He was the singer who sang the most popular and numerous songs. Now, most new singers and superstars in Sri Lanka sing his songs. So, he is the king of Sinhala music.

Jothi is the best and No.1 singer in Sri Lanka. No doubt about that.
Priya Suriyasena
Gunadasa Kapuge

Should be the number 1 greatest singer in Sri Lankan music history.
Haroon Lanthra
Clarence Wijewardena

He is the singer who sang best of group songs. I think, to my knowledge, he was the overlord of the band music. I think he is the best guitar player in Sri Lanka. Nowadays, new bands have many brand-new electric guitars. They are more expensive, but they can't come close to Clarence's music. His music is so sweet and excellent.

Oh my goodness! He pioneered the use of the electric guitar in Sri Lanka, wrote songs for others (Milton Mallawarachchi, W.D. Amaradeva), and even dedicated some to others (Dileepa Podi Puthu). You give him 43! Come on, at least in the top 10!
Konganige Joseph Malsi Jackson Anthony

Jackson is able to show a large range with his exaggerated voice. He can go from a harsher death metal sound, to a punk sound, to a hip-hop sound, to a reggae sound, and to a sound completely unique and Sri Lankan of his own. It would be very hard for other Sri Lankan singers to show such range (including Iraj, Dushyanth, and Randhir).
You can recognize his sound of over-singing, and his overly exaggerated singing passion comes right from his soul! Clearly, he should be ranked first.

There is no better singer, vocalist, or performer in the history of Sri Lanka than Jaksan Antany. I won't deny that Ajith Muthukumarana is a legend and is one of the greatest of all time, but he can't match the vocal range of Jaksan!
However, Jaksan is definitely better than this guy called Sunil Edirisinghe! It is nice to see Amith Walpala in the Top 10 as well.
To finish my vote, my Top 3 are:
1. Jaksan Antany
2. Ajith Muthukumarana
3. Amith Walpala
Victor Rathnayake

He was the first one-man singer in Sri Lanka! I heard that people who couldn't obtain tickets to his show would even break into the auditoriums!

I love how he blends Western and classical Sri Lankan music so neither one gets overpowered and both blend beautifully!

Yeah, I remember all the way back when I tried so hard to attend every one of his concerts. He has the most phenomenal and unique voice in Sri Lanka.
Narada Disasekara

Narada's voice has prevailed throughout generations. He has sung some beautiful songs. He blends the Sri Lankan touch with his meaningful songs. Narada, who definitely belongs in the same group that includes Marshall Bruce Mathers and Tupac Amaru Shakur, surely gets my vote!

The only person who can outsing Eminem and Tupac!
Dayarathna Ranatunga
Lionel Ranwala

Lionel Ranwala's main interest was Sinhala folk music of Sri Lanka. He successfully brought Sinhala folk tunes and melodies to popular Sri Lankan music, preserving their originality. His masterpiece "Me Awurudu Kale" is arguably the best Awurudu song ever created.
Some of the phrases, such as බා බා බා කිකිළී, දමා තැල්ල ඩිඟිසි ඩිඟොයි, and ගත්තිංඥා තිංඥා... ගති ගත ගෝ, have become household phrases in 21st-century Sinhala lore.
The main chorus goes as follows:
මේ අවුරුදු කාලේ සිනහ වෙයන් රාළේ
තෙල් ඉහිරුණු කැවුම් ගෙඩිය වාගේ ආආආ ආආආ ආ...
Athma Liyanage
Shelton Perera
Vijaya Kumaranatunga

The most beautiful singer, and the personality and charisma ever! Milton, Vijaya, and Clarence should be the top 3.

Greatest actor in Sri Lanka of all time.
Ivor Dennis