Everywhere you go these days, you might be hearing one song, over and over again, and the star behind it is obviously Yohani, who rose up to massive stardom in such a short period of time. Not only within Sri Lanka but also around the world. People recognize her and the song instantly, and you can find ‘Manike Mage Hithey‘ in different versions now, as it’s a hit.

For an overnight blockbuster, she had to pave the way for it years before. She didn’t just show up, since she’d had a passion for music since she was a youngster. And her hard work and devotion got her to where she is now. To know more about her, let’s dig up her past and see what obstacles she had to break through to attain what she has acquired today.

Yohani’s Past

She was born in Colombo on July 30th in 1993. Her father is  Major General Prasanna de Silva, a former army officer in the Sri Lankan army. Her mother, however, is a former air hostess named Dinithi de Silva. She was born with a sibling is her sister named Shavindri de Silva, who is currently looking forward to being a Doctor. She is pursuing her career in the medical field. Even though she was born into a pretty wealthy family, she still had to go through struggles as her father was in the military. Their life was unstable as they had to stay on several military bases. And had to follow her father wherever he went.

Yohani

This, however, didn’t stop Yohani from dreaming and working towards her goal. Her mother was quick to find out her passion and pushed, motivated and influenced her to aspire and work towards her dreams. Yohani was multi-talented as she was a skilled swimmer. She participated in Water Polo and Swimming and was peaking in her sports.

Furthermore, she also participated in Wushu, synchronized swimming, and she was also part of the school Musical band where she played the trumpet. She obtained colours in Vishaka Vidyalaya, which means a lot as it was only given to pupils who were acing in school’s overall activity. When the prolonging war ended in Sri Lanka, she moved to England to finish her high school education.

Yohani’s initial stages of success

Yohani came back to Sri Lanka after finishing her high school successfully. While reading for her bachelor’s degree in Logistics Management and Professional Accounting, She started a YouTube career. Initially, she started doing cover songs. She then moved to Australia to complete her Masters. There she finds people with similar interests as she her, including Hiking, 4×4 Rallies, Sky diving and Scooba diving. While all of it was happening, Yohani still felt void and needed to do something better.

Yohani

That’s when she starts writing her first song named ‘Which way to go’.This is the first song she wrote in her life. She had been performing cover songs up until that point, but she had chosen to branch out. After completing the degree, she returns to Sri Lanka, hoping to pursue a career in the Music Industry. She eventually signed to a company called ‘Pettah Effect’, and that’s where she started to bloom. Even then, she was only singing and performing at pubs and clubs for as low as 30$ a night, which is approximately 6000 rupees in Sri Lankan Currency.

brand ambassador of Prima Kothu mee

In 2019, she got signed in as the brand ambassador of Prima Kothu mee for a longer period of two years. This is where her career slowly starts to flourish. Following this, Red Bull records signed her in for a song. That’s when she gets the opportunity to get comprehensive coverage. The song she made, which was titled ‘Aaye’, was a turning point in her journey.

Through this, she gains a significant amount of fan base and gets the attention of the Sri Lankan Music industry. When nearing the end of 2020, Yohani, along with Chamath Sangeeth, makes her second song. While the third is a patriotic song dedicated to the front line Army officers who risked their lives during the war in Sri Lanka.

Yohani

The Overnight sensation

She continued to do singles and cover songs under Pettah Effect record label, which did pretty well. By this time, she was well established and known in Sri Lanka. But it was time for her to become renowned all over the world. That’s when she collaborates with Satheeshan Rathnayake, who originally made ‘Manike Magey Hithey’ in 2020 for a cover song. She uploaded it to her YouTube account in March. It becomes an instant hit overnight for the scintillating performance of Yohani and the trendy beats.

This song garners Yohani, a huge fanbase in India, as Amitabh Bachan, Tiger Shroff, Ranveer Singh and many more celebrities mention this in their social media accounts. Yohani later said that both Amithab Bachan and Tiger Shroff personally messaged and congratulated her on making a successful song.

Yohai in Bollywood

Due to the immense popularity she acquired, she is now being offered several songs in Bollywood. She is also busy doing concerts in India, which is tough to come by. She was recently invited to Bigg Boss, where Salman Khan told her to teach him the song. It was a wholesome moment in the TV Show.

Moreover, she was also invited by ColorsTV in India to a show hosted by Ranveer Singh. It’s a proud moment for Sri Lankans to see a Girl from our own soil go big worldwide, as it’s not easy to witness every day. The future of Yohani doesn’t seem light as well.

Yohani

She is on a tight schedule recording for both Kollywood and Bollywood movies now. Yohani said in an interview that she is not taking this for granted and will persist in producing quality with the same excitement and motive. It’s good to hear, and we sincerely wish her all the best in her future endeavours!