With the release of their album ‘Anuragaye’, Hot Chocolate has been taking a step forward by adding a new flavour to Sri Lanka’s music industry. A bit of rock and a bit of pop is how Hot Chocolate vocalist and guitarist Dishad Lankesh described their music, saying it was different to what was mainstream at the moment.
The band has been around since 2016, fuelled by a shared passion for music. The name stems from lead singer Tehan Perera’s unyielding love for the beverage, and together, the seven members of the band are determined to add something unique to the blend that is Sri Lanka’s music industry.
Besides Tehan and Dishad, the band comprises Dasun Madushan (vocals), Kasun Welgamage (guitar), Dilshan Samuel (keys and synths), Tharindu Bimsara (drums), and Niman Anne (bass).
‘Anuragaye’
Speaking about their album, Dishad said the feedback for ‘Anuragaye’ has been good, explaining that the band gifted top artists in the country vinyl records of the album as a souvenir. “They loved the album and liked the new step in terms of the genre of music we are going with, where it’s a bit of rock and it’s a bit of pop – it’s not the mainstream music right now in the Sri Lankan music scene. They enjoyed it and said it was the way forward. That has been really good for us as a band,” he said.
When asked how challenging it was for bands to release albums, he explained that bands face many challenges financially, which is why many lose sight of their goals of making music and instead count the number of gigs they have played. These challenges are also why artists tend to release just one music video and try to get most of their views through that one song.
Working on ‘Anuragaye’ required a lot of effort, especially since seven different minds were working together. However, the band overcame any and all challenges and released the five-track album. They worked with producer Asira Fernando on all the tracks, with Asira credited for the melodies and Asira and Hot Chocolate coming together to produce the music for the album. Four of the five songs were written by Dinesh Jayaranga, with the other written by Ansaf Ameer.
The band also collaborated with photographer and stylist Raffealla Fernando on how they presented to the public as a brand, with Dishad adding that they also worked with Asanka from Aweera Hair and Beauty.
“It was a collective effort, with not just the seven members of the band, but others as well. We also worked on social media, coordination, lighting, sounds, and so many other components. It was a big project, and we are happy that we got through and made the album ‘Anuragaye’,” Dishad said.
Making original music
Besides the album, Hot Chocolate has also released the music video for the title track, with the music video directed by Chamil Pathirana from Thaala Roopa. Dishad shared that the band plans on working with Raffealla Fernando and other directors in future as well, emphasising the importance of collaborations.
In terms of the band’s goals, Dishad said that their main goal is to release originals. He explained that most bands today are cover bands, backing up other artists at concerts and performing at weddings and similar events. However, Hot Chocolate wants to go on their own path.
“What we are looking to do is to make our own original music, like Gypsies and Daddy. We want to make our own music in Sri Lanka, and then do our own concert, our own show, and play our own music, not anybody else’s music. We want to be an artist ourselves,” Dishad said.
While the band is currently focusing on the marketing for ‘Anuragaye’, they also plan on touring, in Sri Lanka, but hopefully outside as well, with the concert to have the same name as the album. This is likely to commence in December.
This plan also looks at tours in Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom next year, where Hot Chocolate plans on performing their own show, instead of being a backing band. Dishad shared: “We want to make our own concert, and take it to other countries as well. We can cater to all those markets out there. That’s how we are going to take our music globally.”
Until the shows take place, the band is reaching global audiences through streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. “To go global is the not-so-easy part. Being a Sri Lankan band and singing Sinhala songs, it’s not the easiest, but artists like Yohani have proved that it’s not impossible.”
In terms of what fans can expect until the concerts take place, Dishad shared that the music video for ‘Mulawee’ will be released in August, with the band currently shooting the videos for the remaining tracks, ‘Awemi Loketa’, ‘Kasiya Dapan’, and ‘Duwilla Akase’.