Pop sensation Yohani closed the Moon Stage at India’s Ziro Festival of Music on Friday (25th September), performing a predominantly Sinhala-language set before an international audience in the Ziro Valley of Arunachal Pradesh.

The performance, held during the festival’s 2026 edition, featured original music from her catalogue and saw audience members singing along to several Sinhala songs. One of the evening’s highlights came during her performance of “Chuttak Chuttak,” when members of the audience joined in singing the lyrics. Footage shared on Yohani’s social media also showed the Sri Lankan national flag displayed on the screen behind the singer and her live band.

As the performance drew to a close, members of the audience chanted “Aadarei“, the title of her second album, which translates to “love” in Sinhala.

The performance marked another milestone in Yohani’s international career, five years after she rose to prominence with the viral success of “Manike Mage Hithe” in 2021.

Since then, she has continued to develop her original music catalogue through projects including “Kella”, “Aadarei” and the recently launched “Sadde”, while expanding her presence through international performances and touring.

Reflecting on the evening, Yohani described the audience’s response as one of the most memorable experiences of her career.

“I have dreamt of many stages, but I never dreamt of hearing thousands of people who do not speak my language singing ‘Chuttak Chuttak‘ back to me, and then shouting ‘Aadarei’ into the night. I sang for Sri Lanka, in front of our flag, in our language, and the world sang with us. This is the proudest night of my career, and it belongs to every Sri Lankan,” she said.

Outright Play Founder and CEO Dilanjan Seneviratne said the performance reflected years of sustained investment in developing Yohani’s international career while maintaining her musical and cultural identity.

“For years, the assumption has been that an artist from a small country must dilute what makes them specific in order to travel. Change the language, change the sound, become less local. On Friday night a valley in the Himalayas sang in Sinhala, and that assumption died in public. This did not come from luck. Behind one visible night are years of records, rights, rehearsals and a team that kept building before there was any guarantee the world would care. The world cared. Loudly,” he said.

Founded in 2012, the Ziro Festival of Music is an independent music festival held in Arunachal Pradesh, bringing together musicians and audiences from different cultural backgrounds. The event takes place in the Ziro Valley, home to the indigenous Apatani community.

According to Outright Play, the 2026 edition featured 41 acts from more than ten countries, with Yohani’s appearance forming part of the festival’s international programme.

Her performance highlighted the growing international reach of her original music, particularly her decision to continue recording and performing in Sinhala while building an audience beyond Sri Lanka.

Outright Play said further international announcements relating to Yohani’s Sadde project are expected in the coming months.

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