That Big Harsha Exclusive!

Sinhala rapper Big Harsha was on a hiatus, up until last December when he surprised the rap scene with the release of his debut album ‘Kunchanada’. We had to catch up with him for a one to one on the album and more.

DB : How Have You Been

Big Harsha : First of all let me say thank you so much to Decible.lk for featuring me, it means a lot. It’s been a long 2021, lots of ups and downs but I’m doing great. Really blessed and grateful.

DB : You’ve made a comeback after a long time, why did you take a break?

Big Harsha : It’s been a long time coming. With life and work and a global pandemic, things seemed really bleak for a while. I’ve had many people reach out asking me where I’ve been and why I’m not showing up, but I think I needed to take it at my own speed. I don’t want to make music for the sake of it, it has to mean something to me. I’m pretty happy with where I am with my career and the attention my new album ‘Kunchanada’ is getting.

DB : Tell us about your all new single “Nayaa’

Big Harsha : With the ‘Nayaa’ video, I’m just trying to bring to light everything we see going on in the country. From corruption, the politicians, the state of the country and economy, this track was was meant to inspire the next generation, the ones who will have the voting power next, to really pay attention to what’s happening, and to think before they vote. Don’t blindly follow the crowd, form your own opinions! The track was produced by Freaky Mobbig (my lil broda), lyrics by me and Freaky too. The video was a huge success thanks to DU Films & the whole team & was edited by one of my brothers, from @inze productions.

DB : Tell us about your debut album ‘Kunchanada’, that got released last December

Big Harsha : I’ve been meaning to release an album for a several years now. A member of my crew ‘LWA’ encouraged me to create this album. Freaky Mobbig as I mentioned earlier (my lil broda) produced this album. It was mixed & mastered by Juda all the way from Canada, and trust me he did good. It was pretty challenging to do it during the pandemic! A lot of our meetings and discussions had to happen online, and there was a lot of back and forth.

There’s 7 tracks on this album, and from the beginning to the end there’s an underlying story. Truly anyone can listen to it, there’s something for everyone.

The name ‘Kunchanada’ represents my attitude, my comeback, my journey thus far. This album is a stepping stone to what’s yet to come in my career. We’re taking it to a whole new level and this is just the start. I couldn’t have done it without the support from my distributor Bonfire. I thank Bonfire with all my heart for the love and support throughout the whole process!

DB : Tell us about the featured artists on the album

Big Harsha : Throughout the album we have Neo, Freaky Mobig and Azeem Shazly A.K.A Nana featured. The song I did with Nana in particular is very special to me, as it’s the first time I’ve rapped in Tamil. I grew up watching a lot of Rajnikanth movies, and picked up the language. It’s been getting a lot of positive reviews as well and I’m glad.

That’s all the featured artists for this album, but I’m planning to have several of the island’s top artists on my next one. Every single track on the next album will have an artist featured on it, and it’s going to be a game changer!

DB : What’s changed about you?

Big Harsha : I’m more motivated than ever before! I have a dedicated team behind me now, which I didn’t have before. I have a manager and producer, and it’s really added to my confidence. I’ve got big plans for 2022 and I’m really excited to get the gears turning. I’m keeping a positive mindset and going with the flow. I’m really hoping to keep this momentum going and make more music that reaches people all around the globe.

Local artists you are listening to right now

In terms of local artists, I try to listen to as many of them as possible. There’s a lot to learn, and to be inspired from everyone in the industry. Always, always on the look out for new players in the game and the art they put out. I listen to as many local artists as I can but I guess I’m pretty old school, I’m a storyteller, so in terms of that I check out lyrical poets like Born Lord and Zanny Inzane. I mostly listen to those guys. For me it’s more about the lyrics rather than the beat or music. Really looking forward to collaborating with those guys in the future. Fingers crossed!

Finally, once again I would like to thank you for this wonderful opportunity and keep a tab of me because, there’s more good news coming really soon.. peace!

Big Harsha

Check out the entire album already