French connections | Daily News

French connections

After becoming the best singer of Voix du Cap Lardier musical competition in France
After becoming the best singer of Voix du Cap Lardier musical competition in France

Sri Lanka truly is a country that nurtures individuals with enormous talents. Scientists, doctors, architects and singers have become players in a global platform bringing glory to their motherland.

When their works are recognized globally, Sri Lanka automatically becomes a land to reckon with making these individuals our true ambassadors.

Flora Nethmi, a girl aged 10 years, is sending pleasant vibes within France as a promising and upcoming songstress with enormous potential. Starting off her singing stint at the age of six Flora has mesmerized her peers with her soprano singing talents. She is now at the threshold of becoming a songstress of international standard.


Flora Nethmi on stage 

Flora’s Sri Lankan parents are from Matara and Polgahawela. They have migrated to France in the 1990s. Flora, her elder brother and elder sister are all born in the north of France.

They reside there now. Her father works as a chef while her mother focuses on the wellbeing of the children.

Her parents and mentors on identifying her talent to sing high pitched melodies with a hoary voice have engaged her in voice-training and piano classes at Prof Jean Paul Daroux’s music school. She also learns to play the guitar and studies ballet dancing with the intent of becoming a world-class performer.

Flora has in the meantime fine-tuned her vocal chords by singing in choirs. Her silvery versatile voice compliments French songs.

In 2014 she has made her first public Solo performance at Fete de la Musique where she sang Rihanna’s famous song ‘Diamonds’ to receive non-stop applause by an enthralled audience.

In 2016 Flora went to Barbara Jane’s Music Academy to further her knowledge in singing. The breakthrough in Flora’s vibrant singing career also came in 2016 when she performed at the Voix du Cap Lardier musical competition in France held annually to appreciate young talent. She become the best singer in the under 16 Solo category. Her performance that day kept the audience at the edge of their seats.

In the jury was Michel Deshays who is a famed composer and sound engineer in France. Michel has invited Flora to render her voice to a song in his upcoming album. When Flora did justice to the song exceptionally well she was invited by Michel again to do her own album with three songs.

Flora’s first album thus was unveiled in April 2017. Among the tracks in the album is a song about Sri Lanka titled ‘Ceylon’. A video for this song is scheduled to be made in Paris in August 2017 which will be released in September.

According to Michel Deshays, Flora has the rare talent to grasp any complicated melody in the least amount of time to sing it perfectly, which is an endorsement to Flora’s talent.

Flora Nethmi is planning to visit Sri Lanka next year to perform before a Sri Lankan audience, singing her ‘Ceylon’ song in Sinhala.


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