Starting out her career with Bathiya n Santhush, Ashanthi entered the arena of professional Music Production & Entertainment at the tender age of 17. Her first single  Out of the Blue reaching global audiences in 1999 won her the award for Most Promising Female Singer at the Shanghai Asia Music festival in 2000. Subsequently, her debut duo album Oba Magemai (M Entertainment / Sony Music 2003) reached new heights in Sri Lankas youth music revolution while her hit song Angel clinched the award for Song of the year  at the Sunday Observer  Golden Clef Music Awards  in 2003.

Ashanthi s musical roots lie in Classical, Operatic, Broadway and Gospel for which she began training at the young age of 9. Her musical talents also delve into the world of advertising, production and songwriting, her most prominent work being on Sirasa TV s Sri Lankan Tsunami song  We shall rebuild  which received air play on BBC, MTV and Channel V. During the last two years,

Ashanthi has toured Europe, The Mediterranean, North America, Australasia, The Middle East as well as most of the Asian subcontinent and The Far East wowing audiences in the global arena. Her major performances include appearances at the Sydney Opera House - Australia, Trafalgar Square & Millenium Dome - London, Cannes Film Festival -France, ITB worldwide conference (International Tourist Board Convention) - Berlin, Germany.

It s an exciting time for Ashanthi de Alwis who is to release her debut solo album ..Sandawathuren.. under the Sony BMG / M Entertainment labels in October 2006. With a tour schedule and workload that allows for very little wriggle-room, the diva s long-awaited album has been a steep learning curve and a labour of love.  The album is a fresh perspective on life and love  says the sultry RnB singer.  I want the album to be like someone s favourite t-shirt - an album that you feel at home with, a soundtrack to life of sorts.  Production-wise Ashanthi says the album is a fusion of the newest sounds - a blend of ethnic melodies and radio-friendly hip hop/rnb and pop ballads. With production powerhouses such as Bathiya Jayakody, Mahesh Denipitiyiya,the Ranganathan brothers [Shyamalangan and Sarangan] behind the mixing desk and Eranga Jayawansa creating beats and SFX for the album, future prospects for the album certainly look promising. Other artistes featured on the album are Bertrum Charles (Vocals), Randhir Witana (Rap / Lyrics) Redrum (Rap), Nawarathna Gamage (melody composition), Nuwan (Flute), Ruwan Weerasekera (Violin), Jananath Warakagoda (Ethnic drums / percussion), Dave Collins (Saxaphone) and members of the Sri Lanka Youth Orchestra on additional Cello and Violin. The writers were specifically hand picked from the  cream of the crop , in order to handle each song with an individually unique approach. Nilar Cassim, Vasantha Dukkgannarala & Hemasiri Halpita are the creators of lyrics specially conceptualized by Ashanthi and planned by both Bathiya & Ashanthi, while melodies for the album have been created by Ashanthi, Bathiya, Shyama Sri, Sarangan, Nawarathna Gamage, Eranga & Rajeev and music tracks by Bathiya, Shyama Sri, Sarangan & Eranga.

Ashanthi s intentions for her album are hardly fame-driven. At the moment, she is the first and only Sri Lankan female artist signed to an international record label - SONY BMG. She feels this achievement is testament to the potential of female musicians in Sri Lanka.  I want the album to be an inspiration to other artists such as myself. There is so much untapped talent out there . The challenges of producing her album have been plentiful claims Ashanthi. She confesses that the creative process behind the album has been one of the biggest journeys she s had to take.  Composing lyrics that are memorable, forming a concept for a song and basically creating the right chemistry has honestly been the biggest but most enjoyable hurdle for me . Maintaining mass-market appeal has also been a learning experience for the young diva.  My main aim is to cater to fans from all backgrounds.. says Ashanthi A fusion of Ethnic RnB and Hip Hop with traditional Sri Lankan styles, creating an explosive, energetic and futuristic sound of her own for all segments of the Sri Lankan market, defines Ashanthi..s unique genre of ..ethnic music.. for the new album. It will be entirely in Sinhala language (with the exception of 2 English songs) and will consist of 14 tracks. Although the album is targeted to the local market, it is one with global appeal with international musicians being featured. The six months following the release of her album are set to be very hectic.  It will be a never-ending series of concerts, tours and promotional activity  she says. However for an artist with eyes on making it internationally, such a workload is par for the course she confesses. All this said, there is no doubt that her fans will wait in anticipation for the diva s [and Sri Lanka s] first ever female Ethnic RnB album in October 2006. The stage is set for a renaissance in female Sri Lankan music. A host of Information on the artiste and downloads otherwise inaccessible are available to fans from Ashanthi s Official Website:

WWW.ASHANTHI.COM