UNIVERSAL MUSIC TO RELEASE “VISSAI VISSAY” THE OFFICIAL ICC WORLD T20 2012 SONG AND ALBUM

UNIVERSAL MUSIC TO RELEASE “VISSAI VISSAY” THE OFFICIAL ICC WORLD T20 2012 SONG AND ALBUM

 

FRONTED BY THE OFFICIAL SONG “VISSAI VISSAY” PERFORMED BY SRI LANKA DUO BATHIYA & SANTHUSH, THE ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED IN TWO VERSIONSTARGETING CRICKET FANS IN INDIA AND SRI LANKA

Universal Music India, the leading record label, has acquired rights to the official song of the prestigious ICC WT20 2012 tournament to be held in Sri Lanka later this month. “VissaiVissay” which literally translates to ‘Twenty Twenty’in Sinhalese is a fast-paced, and infectious tune that is sure to gain popularity among cricket fans all over.

“VissaiVissay”is an upbeat inspirational melody that effectively captures the spirit of T20. The song uses popular `cricketing’  lingo and will reach out to millions of fans of the game. The song is composed in the music style `Papare’, which is a popular Sri Lankan genre that is largely associated with cricket. “VissaiVissay”has been composed by duo Bathiya and Santhush, who rank among the biggest pop/rap artists in the Sri Lankan music industry, in collaboration with Phoenix Ogilvy Sri Lanka The `English’ version of the song features UK rap artist Arjun.

Bathiya and Santhush commenting on the song said “When there’s a lot of cricket and a plethora of songs related to the game, the challenge was to do something different that stands out and captures the spirit of the T20 game and essence of the host nation, Sri Lanka. The essence of the game is reflected in the pace of the track and the local flavour is brought out by the unique Sri Lankan `papare’ music. The track is bound to get anyone anywhere in the world dancing and moving in a frenzy.” 

Speaking on acquiring the rights for the song, Devraj Sanyal, MD Universal Music India and SAARC said, “Bathiya&Santush are my friends and musicians who are literally the kings of pop in Sri Lanka. “VissaiVissay” is no exception and in my mind has the ability to cross borders and become a song that is huge for cricket!  It has the quintessential B&S elements but more importantly it has all the makings of a global cricket anthem. We are very excited to see this become exactly that.”

ICC Commercial General Manager, Campbell Jamieson, said: “This lively and catchy song really captures the spirit and excitement of World Twenty 20 cricket. We’re looking forward to the fans enjoying not just the event, but the soundtrack behind it too.”

The video for the song “VissaiVissay” will feature Bathiya&Santhush along with their crew, event ambassadors LasithMalinga and ShashikalaSiriwardena and also cricketing fans who uploaded their video to take part in the event video contest cheering and singing the song.

Universal Music will release “VissaiVissay” the album in two versions – one for the Indian audiences and one for the Sri Lankan audiences and will be available in both physical and digital formats on 10th September`12, 8 days prior to the start of the exciting tournament.