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Singer, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur – Mahiru Senarathne

20 Feb 2022

By Mahika Panditha  I cannot go a day without music. Just the other day, I was spamming a friend with music recommendations because it is such a big and beautiful part of life. Earlier last week, I had the pleasure of having a chat with singer, songwriter, producer, and Founder of MREC Entertainment Mahiru Senarathne.  Mahiru is currently working on his debut album, and also studying information technology. He is an inspiration, as he started his own record label at such a young age and aims to make his mark in the industry, which I think he is doing already! The label currently works with over a 100 musicians.  “Music is my key to everything,” Mahiru says. I am in absolute awe – the amount of work it takes to create a beautiful piece of art is insane, and I commend Mahiru and his whole team for continuing to create beautiful music. We got to talk about the inspiration behind him starting the label, his music, any future plans, and things to look forward to.  I cannot begin to express how talented our country is and Mahiru is paving the way for many musicians in our island to fulfil their dreams whilst also fulfilling his own. We often talk about being an artist, but Mahiru dives deeper and produces, mixes, and markets his work with his team – he is always learning and is invested in the work he does, with such passion and such talent. Check out our chat with Mahiru and do have a look at his socials to stay tuned to all of his upcoming work – @mahiru_senerathne!   Tell us about how you got into music.  Well, I’ve always been interested in music, and after finishing my school studies, I started producing music and I released my first original song – ‘Roopikawi’ – and I’ve since released over 12 original songs.    What inspired you to start your own record label?  Actually, there was no one to assist me at the time, so I had to do thorough research on music distribution, music licensing, and other relevant topics. It took me more than four years to learn this much, and I’m still not finished and will never be. Then I realised that there are others like myself, and all I wanted to do was support them and do something good for the Sri Lankan music industry. So that’s how it all began.   How has the experience been thus far?  Actually, it’s wonderful; there were times when I considered quitting, but MREC is a family, a powerful and loving family. They didn’t let me give up on this, and I will never give up thanks to them.   What has been one of your biggest challenges to date and how did you overcome it? I had so many challenges, but you will most certainly experience challenges throughout your career. Fortunately, there are approaches and tactics that may be used to overcome practically every challenge. So put in the effort and have a positive attitude.   Do you have any advice for people who want to get into the music industry?  Simply put in the effort and dream big. Never give up on your dreams or your work. Still, there are many opportunities in the Sri Lankan music industry.   Are there any new ventures of yours that we can look forward to?  The international music community needs to pay more attention to the Sri Lankan music industry, and we are doing everything we can to market our music to a global audience. So, I’ll go to whatever level to guarantee that MREC is more than just a record label, but a family for all artists in Sri Lanka.   What is your favourite genre of music?  I am more into pop, ambient, and classical music.   Where do you hope you will be in the next five years?  I want to bring MREC Entertainment and all our talented artists to an international audience. Additionally, I’d like to see a five-storey building for our MREC.   PHOTOS © GAGANA HIRUSHA, HIRUSHI NIPUNIKA, MUDRIQ AHAMED, THENUKA WITHARANA   


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