Bathiya and Santhush

BnS

Bathiya Jayakody (left) & Santhush Weeraman (right) in 2016 during the filming of Video Loke by Dialog.
Background information
Origin Colombo, Sri Lanka
Genres Hip hop, folkhop, electrohop
Years active 1998–present
Labels Torana Music, M-Entertainment, SGMTune, SonyBMG, Universal Music
Associated acts

Ashanthi, Randhir, Umaria Sinhawansa, Umara Sinhawansa, Nirosha Virajini, Hariharan,

Asha Bhosle
Website www.bnsmusic.com
Members Bathiya Jayakody
Santhush Weeraman

Bathiya & Santhush (Sinhalese: බාතිය හා සන්තුෂ්), known simply as BnS, are a Sri Lankan hip hop duo consisting of Bathiya Jayakody (born on December 22, 1976) and Santhush Weeraman (born on September 5, 1977), who met while at the "Mary Anne David School of Vocal Music" in Colombo (training mainly under the categories of classical and show tunes). They both were born in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They have been one of the most commercially successful music acts in Sri Lanka in the last two decades.

Bathiya Jayakody was educated at Ananda College, Colombo while Santhush Weeraman was educated at Royal College, Colombo. Santhush comes from a musical family, his brother Dushyanth Weeraman is also a musician of repute.

Since the inception of their act in 1998, they have released nearly 8 EPs and have had over 25 Sri Lankan number one singles. Bathiya & Santhush are one of the biggest musical acts to hit the Sri Lankan musical scene since the 1990s, mixing Sinhala, Tamil, and English rap verses in their originals, while they have also mixed Hindi rap verses in their folkhop remixes bringing out their contemporary style and the music industry in Sri Lanka.

Having performed in over 600 concerts in Sri Lanka and abroad, BnS marked the end of their concert series after over 120 performances "Neththara Live" in 2008. This was replaced with a brand new concert series named "Shaheena" after their 2008 first single and the same titled promotional album for Lux. Their current concert series Sara Sihina is named after their 2010 release. With the release of their fifth mainstream EP Sara Sihina - the 5th Element, BnS became the only Sri Lankan hip hop duo to feature Indian singers, namely Hariharan (in the song Yaalpanamen) and Asha Bhosle (Dedunna Sedi).

Starting from a 2-man operation from their bedroom during their early days, BnS Production Group today houses 4 companies — Showtown Entertainment event management & production, Saregama Music Digital Audio Production, Saregama Films and Saregama Digital Content Acquisition & Management.

Bathiya Jayakody

Early years

Bathiya Jayakody was born to a military family. His father was late Maj. Gen. Nihal Jayakody and mother Mohini Jayakody. His artistic abilities come from his mother’s side. His maternal grandmother Somi Singhika Basnayake who hailed from Hillwood College, Kandy, was in the college choir and his mother a classically trained pianist and a piano tutor. Bathiya started classical piano music from the age of seven and continued to excel in music throughout his school career.

Academics

He started his education in Holloway Primary School in India and upon return in 1984 he entered Isipathana College, Colombo for a brief period. In 1988 he joined Ananda College, Colombo, where he later held the position of Deputy Head Prefect in 1995 and was decorated as a President Scout of the Scout Troop in 1994. After his secondary education at Ananda College, he completed his degree and obtained BSc (Hon) Business from the Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

Early musical journey

While studying western classical music privately, Bathiya was a member of the first Ananda College western band where he played the alto saxophone and occasionally filled in for the percussion section. He was also a pianist with the western music society. He was a founding member and a lead vocalist of the school band. Winning many awards at inter school competitions, Bathiya soon became a known figure in the school's music circuit as a college musician during the mid-90s. He later started learning the music technology with the Sri Lankan music artist Dilup Gabadamudalige. He also joined the Marry Anne Singers Colombo and studied opera, jazz and Broadway singing under the Mary Anne David School of Vocal Music. During the late 90s, Bathiya worked as a freelance vocalist singing for radio jingles and commercials together with Ranga Dassanayake. During this period, Bathiya Jayakody and Santhush Weeraman collaborated on a few projects, which led to the formation of BnS.

Awards and accomplishments

Discography

Year Title Label
1998 Vasanthaye ~ A New Beginning Torana Music
2000 Life Torana Music
2002 Tharunyaye SonyBMG
2004 Hiri Poda Wessa (Movie OST) SGMTunes
2007 Resvihidena SGMTunes
2007 Ayubowan Universal Music
2007 Asai Mang Piyambanna (Movie OST) SGMTunes
2008 Shaheena SGMTunes
2008 Rosa Kele (Movie OST) SGMTunes
2009 Lanka Matha SGMTunes
2010 Dancing Star (Movie OST) M Entertainment
2010 Sara Sihina SGMTunes
2016 Neththara SonyBMG
2016 Pravegaya (Movie OST) SGMTunes

References

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