Chandralekha Perera (born 1 December 1961), is a Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

n pop singer

Pop Singer

"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...

.

Perera was born to a middle class family in Kurunegala

Kurunegala

Kurunegala , is the capital of the North Western Province, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was also an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th century to the start of the 13th century. The town itself is a busy commercial and a transport hub...

. As a child she often sang at home. At school she frequently sang and successfully took part in inter-school competitions. While studying she sang for the band "Spring Time" in Kurunegala. She met her future husband Rookantha Goonatillake in 1976 when he was a keyboard player for this band.

Perera's father submitted his daughter's name to a government-sponsored youth organization National Youth Services Council in Sri Lanka (NYSC). This was against her will, although she subsequently attended and was succssful in an interview. She also appeared on the national television service in Sri Lanka that was gifted by Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 to Sri Lanka and was at that time broadcasting

Broadcasting

Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...

 test transmissions

Transmission (telecommunications)

Transmission, in telecommunications, is the process of sending, propagating and receiving an analogue or digital information signal over a physical point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission medium, either wired, optical fiber or wireless...

.

Perera was noticed by the film director and producer D. B. Nihalsinghe

D. B. Nihalsinghe

Dr. Diego Badaturuge Nihalsingha is urguably the most versatile person in film and television in Sri Lanka- with a respected reputation in both film and television being one of the most senior Sri Lankan film directors and film industry pioneers with over 40 years of distinguished service to...

 while he was reporting on NYSC. He selected her to act in his new television series Rekha, which made her a star. She was given the best television actress award in 1986 for Nadee Geethaya, another series by Nihalsinghe, and was awarded best playback singer

Playback singer

A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...

 in the same year for the film Yali Hamuwennai. She was signed for LUX International by Lever Brothers

Lever Brothers

Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...

 at that time.

Perera has sung duets with many popular singers and actors. Vijaya Kumaranatunga, the late husband of President Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...

, sang more than 15 songs with her.

Perera married Rookantha Goonatillake in 1989. They have two daughters and live in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. In 2000, she and her husband were violently attacked and threatened to be killed if they performed at anti-government events.