Sirasa Super Star 2007

By Nilma Dole

The newly-crowned Sirasa Super Star (Second Season) Pradeep Rangana hails from the peaceful town of Veralupe, Rathnapura. The son of a tea small-holder and brother to two sisters, he first attended Ferguson Girl’s school and thereafter St. Thomas’ College, Bandarawela. Pradeep sang only as a hobby at school events and musical productions. Eventhough he never studied music, he had a musical-oriented background.
He vied for the Super Star contest only as a result of pressure from his medical student mates but was soon singing difficult songs to attract the attention of the Sirasa Super Star judges.

He acknowledges Sirasa’s role in providing a platform for budding singers to bring out their hidden talent. His favourite singer is Amarasiri Peiris, which was why he chose to sing “Landune” for round one.
He crooned Maestro Pandit Amaradewa’s “Pera dinayaka ma pem kala yuwathiya” and the popular Kasun Kalhara “Ananthayata yana para dige”. He is also good at singing classical tracks and has improvised on Jagath Wickremasinghe’s song “Obe sina langa...” adding a little flavour to the memorable song.

Upon his winning the title, LAKBIMAnEWS caught up with him to ask how he feels being a Super Star. Pradeep is very humble about his fame and says that as yet he hasn’t been presented with an opportunity to in fact prepare for any shows and concerts. He just wants to take it slow. Just as the super star feeling is sinking in, he feels that the fame hasn’t really affected him in anyway. However, he says, “As a super star, you must act and portray a super star image.”
Before achieving super star status, Pradeep was pacifying many troubled and diseased patients at the Karapitiya Hospital’s medical college.

The first milestone for Pradeep will be the album he has to produce as the new Super Star that will help him attain professional singing status. At the beginning Pradeep pointed out that being the Super Star was not something he really wanted.
It was just something he had to do to prove himself. During the second round people recognised his true potential and started voting for him. He won the hearts of many, which eventually led him to be selected as the Sirasa Super star. Mentioning how he has handled the fame, Pradeep notes, “I am here because of the people and I am thankful to them for selecting me as the winner”.
He knows that being a super star is difficult since the freedom to move unaccosted won’t always be prevalent, but he wants to do as much as he can to uplift the present music scene.
Talking about the current music industry, Pradeep says, “Nowadays many artistes do not really value public opinion but I want to recognise the response and support I am getting.”

Pradeep offers valuable advice, “School children should not only focus on studies but do extra-curricular activities as well.”
Being an all-rounder is what Pradeep likes and he is quick to say that anybody hoping to be a musician should make studies a priority as well. Doing what you want is important but you have to know how to manage both studies and your interests well. Only studying and not indulging in other activities won’t take you far either he says.

Emphasising about the future, Pradeep wants to finish his medical degree because he needs to be assured of his future, should he face obstacles in his music career. As for now, depending on how his new album turns out, he hopes to see which way the wind blows and then try to figure out the next step in his life. Pradeep is truly a good Super Star and a role model to those who want to venture into the music industry with the intention of entertaining people.

Source: http://www.lakbimanews.lk/mag/mag14.htm