Pahan Silu

Pahan Silu (which roughly translates to "dancing candlelight" from its original Sinhala, one of the three primary languages spoken on the island of Sri Lanka) is the name of a band formed in late 2002 by American-born musician Priyan Weerappuli.

Pahan Silu
Background information
Origin	Michigan, United States
Genres	Acoustic
Years active	2002 – present
Labels	Pahan Silu Entertainment
Website	www.pahansilu.com
Members	Priyan Weerappuli Venura Jayasekera Lochana Talagala Shirantha Kannangara

Pahan Silu began performing publicly at the April 2003 Sri Lankan New Year celebration held in Detroit, Michigan, and within two years, had begun performing their original compositions alongside those of classically trained Sri Lankan musicians - including Sangeet Nipun Sanath Nandasiri during his 2005 tour of the United States. In addition to Nandasiri, they have also performed with Walter Fernando (brother of the late baila singer M.S. Fernando), and female vocalist Malkanthi Nandasiri, during their tours of the United States.

The success Pahan Silu has enjoyed in recent years is owed primarily to the unique sound they have introduced to Sri Lankan music. In an era when many Sri Lankan performers (including pop-R&B duo Bathiya and Santhush) have drawn influence from urban and techno musicians in England and the United States, Pahan Silu turned, instead, to the rich, blended, harmonies of African music, and the acoustic rhythms of Latin American music.

Their first single, "Siripāda", a song recounting the story of a group of friends who climb to the top of Srī Pāda (also referred to as Adam's Peak) thru its dense pre-dawn fog, debuted on March 10, 2007 on The Asian Broadcasting Company's Sri Lankan affiliate Hiru FM.

Their second single, "Mīrayèn Èha Thalè", a song which describes Priyan's memory of the 2000 concert given by Pandith Amaradeva in the US, debuted on December 2, 2007 simultaneously on both the BBC and SLBC.

In December 2008, Pahan Silu collaborated with the Sudanese Gospel Choir to perform in a special edition of SirasaTV's "Looks Like" program broadcast in early 2009 which included the premier of their single "Yala".

Among others, founding member Priyan Weerappuli credits Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sting, Papa Wemba, Pandith Amaradeva, John Denver, Clarence Wijewardane, James Taylor, Carlos Vives, Juanes and Aventura as the influences behind Pahan Silu's sound.