Melon Perera is a percussionist best known for being a part of the D Major band with legendary saxophonist and lead singer Hector Dias. Joining D Major, which boasts of some of Sri Lanka’s best musical talent, Melon has since continued to establish himself as an invaluable staple in the band’s journey as it tours around the world while making a name for himself as a multi-instrumentalist with a passion for innovation in music.
In recent times, Melon has been in the spotlight for his use of unique instruments and his fresh take on being a percussionist and fusion artist. Fans will remember his performance with the castanets in 2019 – he was one of the first Sri Lankans to utilise the instrument in a mainstream performance – and his collaboration with Hector Dias where Dias played the saxophone and Melon introduced the djembe, an iconic pairing.
Starting out
Hailing from Chilaw, Melon shared that pursuing music was almost inevitable for him. Even as a student at St. Mary’s College he joined the school Western band as a side drummer and then played as a procession accompaniment for the church choir at Chilaw Carmel Cathedral.
With a musical family, he believes that music was in his DNA, as he used to play drums as a child with his uncle, the former drummer for the Marians and the Galaxies. His musical lineage goes even further with his grandfather being the well-known musical artist Mervin Mihindukula.
However, despite his parentage and generational musicality, Melon remains a firm believer that anyone with a passion for music can become a professional musician: “You must absolutely love it, it must become what you live and breathe,” he said, noting that most percussionists started off much like himself, as that one kid who could not get the beat out of their head.
“You have to love beats. You know how there’s always that one kid in class who is always tapping away at their desk? I was that kid and if you find yourself tapping away and loving it, then maybe it’s in you too,” he said.
Melon shared that he started a band with his friends while he was in school and he had been playing in bands for as long as he could remember, having played for both the Marians and the Galaxies over the years as well.
However, his musical education in percussion really took flight when he joined the Naadro Percussion Academy in 2012, where he studied under Rakitha Wickramaratne. He has continued to study at Naadro and shared that there was a huge range when it came to being a percussionist, noting that it was imperative that you studied it extensively in order to become a true multi-instrumentalist.
Melon has also gone on to teach percussion, conducting classes on his own at music academies.
Around 2015-2016, he got the opportunity to work with Sri Lankan greats like Mahesh Denipitiya and to work in the Derana Dell Studio and Derana Singhagiri Studio. He shared that this involvement had exposed him to great musicians and enabled him to learn from them: “I played in very special episodes, featuring Desmond Silva and even Sunil Perera. It was a great honour.”
Being a percussionist
According to Melon, the percussionist is the one who creates “the vibe” of a song; it is somewhat the foundation on which the beat is built on. Much like when preparing a meal, the percussion sounds are the salt and pepper – an integral part of the dish; the song will not feel complete without it.
He shared that a percussionist should be able to handle multiple percussion instruments and in growing as an artist, he had pushed himself to take up a variety of instruments to not only learn how to use them but also to inspire his work.
“I have picked up instruments that are played around the world that are unique to certain cultures; Latin percussion instruments like conga, bongo, and pinball, African percussion instruments, Arabic instruments, Indian instruments like kanjira, and numerous others.
“Percussion is an assembly of drums and drum instruments – different drums can produce many different sound effects and percussionists can play a variety of different drums to create different vibes and moods,” he said.
Melon shared that percussion was all about “feelings and feel,” noting that in order to be an effective percussionist, one must really love what one does, to experiment and try out many different instruments, techniques, and sounds: “You must really listen to music, gain knowledge, and have a passion to try out something new.”
Melon shared that his passion for percussion had never faded and that he fell in love with his work every day. He shared that as a musician, he had continued to remain in the industry especially owing to his passion for innovation. “I make my own beats. I always create new beats, so I am always looking to add a different mood to songs so that audiences are able to experience something new every time,” he added.
Measuring success
Melon has achieved great success as an individual percussionist and also as a part of D Major, having toured America, Italy, and Australia. Noting that things had almost returned to normalcy after the pandemic, he shared that he would be touring the UK in February, with a number of other international tours lined up for the rest of the year.
Sharing his thoughts about the future of music, he said that he remained very hopeful, especially owing to technological advancements and how connected the world was, which had allowed people to create music together.
“If an instrument is developed in a completely different corner of the world, we hear about it the very next day and perhaps even have an opportunity to get our hands on the instrument itself with not much delay,” he said.
“In the past, if we wanted to do a cover, we would get a tape and listen to it on repeat, stopping it every few minutes to figure out the chords and the melody. However, with YouTube, someone somewhere will have posted a tutorial and numerous variations of the song. It’s so very inspiring to see us all collaborate in this way and make music.”
As we move forward, things would only get better, Melon said: “We will only continue to improve further. If you have the passion, then there is not much difficulty in figuring out your way forward.”
However, Melon shared that the key was to always enjoy what you do but also to keep things fresh. “We must contribute something to the music we put out into the world. Just as we take from what everyone else is creating, we too must add something new, something unique; a different flavour.”
As a percussionist, Melon has his unique signature. “I am known for being a percussionist who plays while having a smile on my face. Percussionists often tend to be fierce and it is indeed a very physically demanding job – often the percussionist must be very active and vibrant on stage. Many have noticed how I always smile as I play and this is my signature, I greatly enjoy what I do and it simply shows in my performance and my audience has taken notice.
“Finally, I want to give thanks to God and let anyone know that if they need my help, I’m there for them,” he said, adding that it had always been about what he loved to do – playing music – and that was what he would continue to do.