Hip-Hop for peace

Ashanthi, who released her debut album Sandawathuren in 2006, is currently regarded as the young face of the Sri Lankan music industry. Bridging the gap between the two countries, the singer has sung Let's Give Peace A Chance, which will be released digitally in India on August 11 as the anthem of De Paix Yatra, and to promote world peace.

A poster of the event

Small place, big dreams
"I started creating this song not with the purpose of using it for this project, but when I found out that it can be used for the project, I felt good because it fits with the whole initiative so beautifully. I feel that if I can play my part in bringing about some change, that's great. I'm glad that it's being heard, even though I come from a small place," says Ashanthi.

The song, which is a mix of Pop and Rock, also features Indian singer Benny Dayal. "The lyrics are in Hindi and in English. We also have a fully English version and a Sinhalese and Tamil version for people in Sri Lanka. We have created an impact-filled song that sends out a powerful message to the people," she tells us.

Ashanthi

Peace for all
Ashanthi feels that since she comes from a region that has witnessed so much strife during the war; it came naturally to her to compose a song that talks about the importance of peace in the world.

u00a0She stresses, "Even though Sri Lanka has came out of war conditions, there are still strained relations between India and Sri Lanka. A lot needs to be done to get complete peace in not only my country but around the world. All of us need to come together in this endeavour, so that peace returns and prevails everywhere."

u00a0Post the release of this single the artist will release a full-fledged album in India in the coming months. "I will launch my album very soon in India. It's a contemporary English album titled, Rock The World. I'm really looking forward to that and hope to visit India that time and perform for the people here," she concludes.