The YES Home Grown Awards 2015 – The Winners & Look Back

25th of October is another day etched in the history of the home music scene Sri Lanka for it’s night saw 10 wins and 6 stellar performances by some of Lanka’s finest at the Stein Studios, Ratmalana. Here’s a breakdown 😉

Our Heartiest To The Winners

Best Acoustic Track 

• Nathan Eardly – Love Will Set You Free (winner)
  Asela Perera Ft Aayushi – Fire / Desire
  Joshua Vittachi – Lost
  CC – Remember Me
  Dilshan Basnayake Ft Sheaam Deen – Heart On 5th Gear

Best Cover

• Sheaan Deen Ft Vy – The Real Wrapup 2013 (winner)
  Mirantha Jayathilaka – Tenerife Sea
  Julian Simonsz – I Do It For You
  Sahashra – Wrecking Ball
  Orry Jackson – Wake Me Up

Best Hip Hop, Reggae Or Rap Track 

• Melodiko & Lankino Ft Bronz – Roots (winner)
  Deyo Ft Prolific Jason, Markia & Janani – Never Lose
  Smokani – Prometheus (52 Bars)
  Markia – Fly Away
  Spek – Look Me Up

Best Electronica Track 

• Nisho Ft Antoinette Wheelan – Music In My Soul (winner)
  Ranidu – Bailabounce
  Shiran-Ta – Bajauwa
  Eranga Jayawansa Ft Mark Frisch – Whole Of My Heart
  Van Luup – Sama

Best Producer 

• Pasan Liyanage (for his single with Georgie Alice – Hold Your Hands) – Winner
  Sheaam Deen – Afterglow
  Ravin David Ratnam – Love Will Set You Free (by Nathan Eardly)
  Manaram Gunathilaka – Happy Pill (by Naomi Wijemanne)
  Ashanthi & Shenal Maddumage – Letting Your Love (by Ashanthi Ft Reshmonu)

The YES Home Grown Honor Award 

• Alien Accent

Best Male 

• Julian Simonsz – I Do It For You (winner)
  Sheaam Deen – Afterglow
  David Senn – Mysterious
  Akram – Pick You Up
  Andrew De Silva – I See The Future

Best Female 

• Ashanthi Ft ReshMonu – Letting Your Love (winner)
  Senani – Free
  Naomi Wijemanne – Happy Pill
  Trinaty – So Far Away
  Rowie Jay – Right In The Pocket

Best Band, Duo Or Group 

• Wagon Park – Don (winner)
  Tantrum – Carnival Of Rust (cover)
  The Sheyana Band – Keep The Change
  Sahashra Ft Pasan Liyanage – Rock My World
  Melodiko & Lankino – Sunshine

The YES Home Grown Listener Pick 

• Akram – Pick You Up (winner)
  Delvin Hindle – Wish You Were Here
  Senani – Free
  SunJ Bandara – Say You Love Me
  Naomi Wijemanne – Happy Pill

The night also saw some stellar, never to be repeated performances by..

Pasan Liyanage, Harshana Wijeyasingha, Sandeep Milan John, Rangana & his awesome drummers (opening act) – This was a killer merger of bailatronic, Sax, Drums and Piano.

Melissa Stephen, The Drill Team & Salvage’s ultimate mashup of “Believe”, “Deviyange Bare” & “Identity” (this is the first time in the history of SL Awards that a body of artists teamed up for a Sinhala/English/Rap & Rock merger Live)

photo credit: sasith gamage

The Honor award tribute performance of “Southern Skies” by The Rebels, Eshantha Perera & Natasha Soysa (for Alien Accent)

photo credits: Tia G

The At Last Project did a mashup of “One Love” & “Happy Pill”, a first time for the band.

photo credits: gayantha perera (missing in the pic is Chandimal)

Akram & Devashrie performed “Pick You Up” which saw the single take on some interesting turns cuz hey, its one of those fun singles!

A pre show picture cuz hey, this was all kinds of rare! photo credits: Ashanthi Colombage

And the closing act was also a pretty special one as this is his first performance in his motherland – Julian Simonsz ended the night on a high with “I Do It For You”.

What else was major big at the awards? 

Wagon Park’s Win 

photo credits: Wagon Park’s awesome manager Sumedha Nuwan who is not in the pic 

“Don” is the first song in Dhivehi done by a Lankan band to not only own the number 1 spot on The YES Home Grown Top 15 due to popular demand last year and this year, was a lucky charm for the band, helping them bag the coveted Mask of “Best Band, Duo Or Group” category.