Bathiya & Santhush, also known as “BnS”, is a Sri Lankan pop, hip hop, and folkhop duo from Colombo, established in 1998. The ensemble consists of Bathiya Jayakody (born 22 December 1976) and Santhush Weeraman (born 5 September 1977), who met while training in classical and show tunes at the Mary Anne David School of Vocal Music. The pair is recognized for mixing Sinhala, Tamil, and English lyrics in their compositions. The duo released its debut studio album, Vasanthaye ~ A New Beginning, in 1998. Their discography includes the albums Life (2000), Tharunyaye (2002), and Neththara (2005). Jayakody and Weeraman were the first Sri Lankan artists to secure a music publishing contract with Universal Music Publishing and a recording contract with Sony BMG in 2002. Between 2005 and 2008, the group performed 120 concerts as part of its Neththara Live tour series. The duo’s accolades include a Silver Award at the 2001 Voice of Asia festival in Kazakhstan and a Bronze Award at the Shanghai Music Festival. In 2019, the pair launched the concert series Oba Nisa to mark 20 years of activity.
