Antara
We don’t need to speak about Yohani’s – Manike Mage Hite, since this viral song is all over the internet. However, the release of the song surely created hype around the singer. So let us dive right in to know all about Yohani – the overnight internet sensation.
Born on July 30, 1993, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Yohani Diloka De Silva is a Srilankan songwriter, rapper and singer. Started as a YouTuber, she gained recognition for her renditions after her rap cover of ‘Deviyange Bare’ became popular. Being the first Srilankan to earn more than 2.46 million subscribers on YouTube, she is now a star on TikTok and Instagram.
She signed the record label Pettah Effect, and since then her career has been flourishing. Her debut single, ‘Aaye’ came out in 2020, after which she released several tracks like ‘Sitha Dawuna’, ‘Merry Christmas Baby’ and ‘Awidan Yanawa’.
How did she become a viral sensation?
Recently in early September, Yohani’s ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ went viral and, everybody was going crazy over it. It created such a buzz and became a global hit in no time. The track is a Sinhalese ballad, originally sung by Satheeshan Rathnayaka. Yohani’s take on it is a beautiful piece of art with her silky vocals, soothing music and a traditional touch. Many might not have understood the language, but one can still feel the song.
The cover crossed 150 million views on YouTube, while it dominates on Instagram and TikTok, with people creating different kinds of content using the song. Ever since the cover dropped out, it has received nothing but love and appreciation, people fawning over it, including A-List celebrities in Bollywood. The artist made an appearance on the sets of Bigg Boss 15 where Salmaan Khan sang a few lines with her.
“This is the first time a Sinhalese song has been viral to this extent, and I want everyone to be proud of its success so far. A lot of people didn’t even know that the Sinhalese language existed, so it makes me happy that the language has gone quite far,” said Yohani in an interview.
Yohani has piqued an interest in Bollywood music. She got her first project in the industry with the recent release,’ Shiddat’ for which she recorded the female version of the title track. She reminisces the process of recording the song and talks about the difficulties she had to face because of the language differences.
With her goal to become more acquainted with multiple languages, she has been signed for the Hindi version of Manika Mage Hithe in the upcoming Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Thank God’.
