Desmond De Silva

Desmond de Silva is a Sri Lankan singer and entertainer, noted for his youthful voice that has changed little over four decades of performing, and regarded as the "King of Baila." Born in Matara in southern Sri Lanka, De Silva is now resident in Great Britain and has performed to packed concert halls across the world.

"Des," as he is known to his fans, launched his career in popular music in Colombo in 1963, he was the lead vocalist of the Fire-Flies. His music was featured widely on Radio Ceylon and subsequently the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Des has also performed with leading Sri Lankan pop groups - "Spitfires," "Gabo and the Breakaways," and the "Jetliners." He sang a song titled 'Oba Nisa' with Mignonne Fernando and the Jetliners - it was hailed as a musical masterpiece at an international song festival. In 1976 he decided to form his own band, "Desmond and the Clan", which performed in various countries in Southeast Asia, including the Maldives. In 1984, de Silva decided to go solo.

International song contests

Desmond de Silva has represented Sri Lanka at the 5th Olympiad of Songs in