Ashanthi

Before we saw Ashanthi performing on stage she was in our ears.

Before we saw Ashanthi performing on stage she was in our ears. And before she entered our ears we saw her as a baby in the Farleys Baby Rusk advertisement. When she was six she sang with her mother for the Sinwa Tiny Tots advertisement singing those memorable lines "Tiny tots are such a treat,
For shoes that flatter little feet"

At sixteen she reached fame when she did the playback singing for the Kandos Smile advertisement. By that time Ashanthi was the most sought after singer for commercials and now her voice can be heard in almost 75% of TV and radio advertisements. Today Ashanthi is a successful artiste with two solo albums to her name and is the only Sri Lankan female artiste to be signed with an international label like Universal Music.
“Can you sing a song for me?” croons Ashanthi softly to a little five year old. The child at first shy, slowly opens up and sings a nursery rhyme as part of his voice assessment session and is accepted to her music school.
Very few people know that Ashanthi is a qualified Montessori teacher and works brilliantly with children. Her studio in park road also houses the Montessori and a music school. ‘Ashanthi’s School Of Music’ nurtures aspiring young musicians from a very young age, grooming them into artistes for the professional stage.
Her other business venture is ‘Ethno Entertainment Audio & Video Productions’, a professional production house that caters to Sri Lanka’s best musicians and Advertising Agencies for all their creative needs. From performing, to teaching to running her own business, Ashanthi does it all.
An amazingly warm personality, we had a great time discussing her music and our mutual interest in photography. Extremely talented and very professional at everything she does this is one voice the music industry will never forget.

How did you get into singing?
I think I could sing even before I could walk. My professional singing debut was when I was six years old. I sang the jingle for the Sinwa Tiny Tots shoe commercial. My mum Antoinette De Alwis was a professional singer. But I was never pushed into singing by my mother. I did it because I loved it.
How was the Ashanti we know like at school? Is your choice of career a surprise to old friends?
Oh no I always sang even in school. I was at Ladies College and if schoolmates needed to point me out they would call me Ashanthi the singer. So it was not a surprise to anyone that I made this my career. I was singing professionally for commercials in school and started performing straight after my A/levels.

Are you professionally trained?
In the school choir I was trained by Mrs. Sharmini Wettimuny. I was also a member of Marianne David’s Merry An Singers.  Training with Marianne David was a much harder experience than I expected. Her teaching really instilled a lot of discipline in me. The things we did made us so physically fit that the reason I perform the way I do now is because of that early training. Formal training helps singers keep the pace up.
How do you train your singing voice now?
Easy, I teach! When I teach I learn. I don’t have to follow any voice training as I am constantly singing and listening to others sing. That is the best way to learn.
As a singer do you have to take precautions to avoid tiring or infecting your throat?
I know a lot of singers avoid cold food just to keep their voices in shape.
I am a cold freak! If someone tells me to keep away from ice water I will die! Even when I have the flu I don’t avoid cold food.



Apart from your school and recording what else have you been up to lately?
I am part of a Sri Lankan singing reality television show called Mega Sangeeth. It is similar to the X-Factor except that we work in teams.
What is a day in the life of Ashanti?
I am a late sleeper so I wake a little late about 9 in the morning. Then I come down to the studio. I have a business to run so I need to see that everything is working smoothly. I have classes on Mondays and Thursdays. Weekends are usually spent performing gigs. Tuesday is my only free day. The time I have free I leave aside to watch a movie.
What was the last movie you watched?
I watched Thor at the cinema and got quite scared.
Scared?
Well I have very sensitive ears and the 5.1 surround sound really got to me. Being in music production I can pick up the slightest sound. So watching an action film in the theatre is an overwhelming experience with all the different sounds coming at you.



f you wouldn’t be a singer..?
….I would be an actor!
What kind of movies do you like?
The soppy romantic kind. My favourite is “Notting Hill.”
What have been your favourite places to tour in Sri Lanka?
I really liked Jaffna. The crowds really appreciate a performance there. Trinco was awesome too. We had gone to perform there during the ceasefire and the people had been starved of entertainment so they really loved having someone perform for them.
You travel a lot to perform and for work. Do you ever take a trip to relax?
Yes, once a year I take a month off to travel. Recently I went to Koh-Samui which is an island off the coast of Thailand known for its party scene.
Are you a party girl then?
Not really. I don’t have the time to party. I think I like the idea of it. Contrary to what everyone thinks I went to Koh-Samui to take photographs and not to party. I am a big fan of photography and like being behind the lens.



Photography?
Yes I love photography and recently bought a digital SLR camera. I go through a lot of phases when it comes to my hobbies. However this is more than a phase and I really enjoy taking pictures.
Who are your musical influences?
Growing up I listened to a lot of Mariah Carey, Boys II Men, Backstreet. I was more into R ‘n’ B than hip hop really.
People think you have a hardcore hip hop image. How did that happen?
I picked the image I was most comfortable with. When I perform on stage I need to be comfortable and this image suited me the best.
Do you think you can ever see yourself in a flowing black gown singing a ballad one day?
(Laughs) No I don’t see that happening ever.
What songs are on your iPod now?
I listen to a lot of the latest commercial music to keep up with what is current. I love the artists signed with the Cash Money label like lil’ Wayne and Nicki Minaj. I also love Chris Brown, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Pink.
Are you a Glee fan?
I love Glee! We perform a lot of their renditions in my singing school. My favourite character from the show is Finn.
What is the Sri Lankan music industry like today? Does it compare to those abroad like in India for instance?
I think the music industry in Sri Lanka is doing very well. You get a lot of respect here if you are a professional singer. I would risk saying that we are almost or as equally good as the Indian industry. The only problem here is the lack of opportunity. India is a big country and there are so many opportunities to make it big.  Internationally we don’t have much of a presence for example as an A. R, Rahman from India would have. MIA is the only artist of Sri Lankan origin to make it big. Which is a little strange for Sri Lanka considering the content of her music which is critical of the country.
Tell us about your latest album?
I have a nice mix of songs in the album. From rock to hip hop and even a song about my father who passed away two years ago. I think it’s important to give variety to your listener. Radio channels have told me that my new album has been well received and they can play all the tracks from it back to back as each one is so different from the other one and it does not sound repetitive.
Any advice to any aspiring singers?
Don’t make music because you want to be famous. There should be quality in what you make. It needs to mean something. That is very important.