Lasith Fernando is a singer, songwriter, guitarist based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Heavily influenced by the songwriting and storytelling of artists like Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler and John Mayer, Lasith hopes to carry on the dynasty of iconic Sri Lankan singer, songwriters like Clarence Wijewardana, Rookantha Gunatilake and Senaka Batagoda. In his own words, Lasith’s goal in life, and in music, is to synthesise complex emotions and feelings into music that’s easy to listen to
and feel.
From his humble beginnings as a working musician cutting his teeth on the Colombo pub and bar circuit, Lasith took a leap of faith in releasing his first original piece of music “Mathaka Mal” in 2017. The response to this first piece of music from listeners was incredible – especially for a self- taught musician like Lasith who had never written or recorded an original tune before this point – and stoked a fire in Lasith to keep telling his stories with music in a way that listeners can relate to and find some measure of peace and healing through. “I’m a storyteller, first and foremost,” says Lasith, “and for me the greatest reward in music is hearing someone tell me that my music helped them get through a rough day, a hard month or a dark patch in their lives.”