Janaka to bring Elvis back to life

Friday, 17 October 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Elvis Presley captivated the audience during his time with his music and his performance on stage but despite his death, his music still lives on thanks to people like Janaka.

Known as Sri Lanka’s Elvis Presley and admired by some of the greats in Sri Lanka’s music industry, Janaka will be making a comeback to the local music scene by performing at what is billed to be the show of all shows. Come 9 November, the Galadari hotel will be the focus of all attention as ‘It’s Nov or Never’ will see Janaka pay tribute to the King as he sings and performs some of Elvis’s greatest hits, and more. Janaka will be backed by a 31 piece pop orchestra led by one of the great musicians Sri Lanka has ever produced, Kalsuri Harsha Makalande. Having performed in several countries in his prime, Janaka took a break from music as he focused on his full-time career as a professional stockbroker. After being employed in Dubai for some time, Janaka came back to Sri Lanka and was recently persuaded by his friends to return to the stage. This then led to the idea of the concert “It’s Now or Never” during which Janaka will not just sing songs made by popular by Elvis Presley but will also sing some of the best hits by Jim Reeves, Daniel O’Donnell, Engelbert Humperdinck and Tom Jones. Harsha Makalande says the concert will see, for the first time, an individual artiste being backed by a pop orchestra. Makalande said he feels Janaka has immense talent and can even be Sri Lanka’s version of Luciano Pavarotti one day. He also noted that it is important that local talent is promoted in Sri Lanka and given the opportunity to shine on stage. Those words were echoed by Dr. Vijeya Corea, the compere of the concert, who is credited with assisting many local artistes to come to the forefront. Janaka learned his music from Sri Lanka’s best music teachers, Mary Anne David. To put it in the words of Janaka, she is the “A,B,C and X,Y,Z” of his music. Mary Anne David says Janaka is the total package as he does not just have the voice but the image as well to be a great performer. The Lion’s Club of Jawatte Summit is also involved with the concert as the proceeds from the show will be used to raise awareness about, and assist Thalassemia patients. Tickets for the show can be purchased online via www.ticketslk.com while http://itsnoworneverjanaka.com will keep you updated on rehearsals and related information ahead of the concert. (Colombo Gazette)