The Voice Sri Lanka

Blind auditions

The journey begins with the Blind Auditions. Coaches sit in "turned-away" chairs, judging contestants based purely on their voice. If a coach is impressed, they press the "I Want You" button to rotate their chair.^[13] If multiple coaches turn, the contestant chooses which team to join.^[14]

In Season 3, the Block Button feature was introduced. A coach can use this once or twice per season to prevent a rival coach from recruiting a specific contestant. The blocked coach can still turn their chair, but they are disqualified from being chosen by that artist.^[15]

Battle rounds

Once teams are formed, coaches pair two of their own artists to perform a powerful duet. After the performance, the coach must make the difficult decision of who stays. Each coach is granted a "Steal," allowing them to save a contestant eliminated by another coach and bring them onto their own team.^[14][16]

Knockouts

Unlike other versions where coaches simply pick a winner from a pair, the Sri Lankan Knockouts^[14] have utilized the "Ranking Chairs" system since Season 2.^[17][18]

• Each team has a limited number of "Hot Seats" (usually three or four).
• After an artist performs, the coach decides if they deserve a chair.
• If all chairs are full and a better singer performs later, the coach can replace someone already sitting down.
• A contestant is only safe once the final artist on their team has finished singing.^[19]

Super Knockouts

In Season 3, the Super Knockouts stage was introduced as an additional elimination round prior to the live broadcasts. Operating as a high-pressure filter, this stage pits contestants in direct, head-to-head performances where coaches make immediate eliminations to rapidly thin the field.^[20] Unlike standard Knockout rounds—which often utilize a Ranking Chairs mechanism—the Super Knockouts focus on high-stakes, multi-artist eliminations to select only the top tier of talent for subsequent pre-live or live rounds.

Play-offs

Serving as the final pre-recorded phase before the Live Shows, the Play-Offs (or Sing-Offs) act as the final hurdle for remaining contestants. In this stage, artists deliver individual solo performances, after which their respective coach must make the final cuts to assemble their elite team for the upcoming public-voting phase.^[21][22] The Voice Sri Lanka introduced the Play-Offs round during its second season, marking the first time the format stage was featured in an Asian adaptation of the show.^[23] The third season omitted the Play-Offs round.

Live shows

Unlike the pre-recorded pre-selection stages, the Live Shows mark the final phase of the competition where control shifts to the viewing public, who determine the outcome through SMS voting.

• Live Shows: The initial live broadcast phase features the remaining group of qualified artists performing solo and group numbers. Contestants are progressively eliminated through a combination of public SMS votes and direct "coaches' saves."^[24] Because of the large number of contestants advancing from the earlier stages, Season 1 divided the initial live phase into two sections, titled "Live Shows" and "Live Shows Round 2."
• Quarter-finals: As the competition field shrinks, production scale increases with expanded set designs, custom staging, and backing dancers. Only the highest-voted performers from each team advance to this stage.^[25]
• Semi-finals: Serving as the penultimate round of the competition, each coach's team is typically reduced to two remaining artists. Public voting exclusively determines which single artist from each team advances to represent their coach in the Grand Finale.^[26]
• Grand Finale: The season concludes with a grand live finale event where the remaining finalists perform hit songs alongside guest artists and special duets with their respective coaches. The artist who receives the highest number of votes is crowned the winner, earning the title of The Voice along with a grand cash prize and a recording contract.^[14][27][28]

Coaches

• Umaria Sinhawansa – A celebrated Sri Lankan singer known for her powerful vocals and stage presence. She was a coach in Seasons 1 and 2, and led Team Umaria to victory in Season 1.
• Bathiya and Santhush (BnS) – A musical duo famous for blending Sinhala pop with hip-hop and R&B. They coached during Seasons 1 and 2 and were instrumental in mentoring finalists.
• Kasun Kalhara – A soulful vocalist and composer known for his emotional ballads. Kasun was a coach in the first two seasons.
• Sashika Nisansala – A classically trained vocalist with a strong background in playback singing. She has performed more than 70 teledrama theme songs and over 20 film songs. She coached in Seasons 1 and 2.
• Supun Perera – Initially introduced as the "Fifth Coach" for the Comeback Stage in Season 2. He became a full-time coach and led Team Supun to back-to-back wins in Seasons 2 and 3.
• Mihindu Ariyaratne – A prominent pop-rock artist known for his energetic performances. He debuted as a coach in Season 3.
• Raini Charuka – A pop singer and entertainer with deep roots in the local music industry, joined the panel in Season 3. She had previously coached on The Voice Teens.
• Hirushi Jayasena – Known for her versatility and youth appeal, Hirushi was introduced as a new coach in Season 3.

Presenters

• Dinithi Walgamage – An actress who hosted the Blind Auditions during Season 1.
• Kingsley Rathnayake – Took over hosting duties during the Battle Rounds in Season 1.
• Sumiran Dhananjaya Gunasekara – Became the principal presenter from the Knockouts of Season 1 onwards, and hosted all of Seasons 2 and 3.

Timeline of coaches

Timeline of presenters

Coaches' gallery

• Coaches gallery
• 
  BnS (1–2)
• 
  Kasun Kalhara (1–2)
• 
  Umaria Sinhawansa (1–2)
• 
  Hirushi Jayasena (3)

Season 1 (2020–2021)

The first season of the show was aired from 21 November 2020 to 11 December 2021 on Sirasa TV. The first season was hosted by Dinithi Walgamage during the Blind Auditions, Kingsley Rathnayake during the Battle Rounds, and Sumiran Dhananjaya Gunasekara from the Knockouts onwards. The coaches were musical duo Bathiya and Santhush, singer and composer Kasun Kalhara, singer Sashika Nisansala, and singer Umaria Sinhawansa.

The winner was Harith Wijeratne from Team Umaria. The other finalists were Julius Mitchell, Miyuru Somarathne, and Thilina Sudesh. Harith was crowned the first winner of The Voice Sri Lanka following the grand finale on 11 December 2021.

Season 2 (2022–2023)

The second season of the show was aired from 29 October 2022 to 21 May 2023 on Sirasa TV. The season was hosted by Sumiran Dhananjaya Gunasekara. The coaches were Kasun Kalhara, Umaria Sinhawansa, and Sashika Nisansala, along with musical duo Bathiya and Santhush. Supun Perera joined the coaching panel as the fifth coach for the Comeback Stage, giving eliminated contestants an opportunity to return to the competition.

The winner was Rameesh Sashinka (Ramiya) from Team Supun. The other finalists were Chinthaka Roshan, Sheron Silva, Shehan Rangana and Chanupa Deshitha. Rameesh Sashinka became the second winner of The Voice Sri Lanka following the grand finale on 21 May 2023.

Season 3 (2024–2025)

The third season of the show was aired from 14 December 2024 to 14 June 2025 on Sirasa TV. The season was hosted by Sumiran Dhananjaya Gunasekara. The coaches were Supun Perera, Mihindu Ariyaratne, Raini Charuka, and Hirushi Jayasena. The season introduced a new coaching panel, with Supun Perera returning as a coach after serving as the fifth coach during the second season.

The season also introduced an all-new dynamic studio set built entirely in-house at Stein Studios—a first in the franchise’s Sri Lankan history. The updated studio featured a modern layout, a new LED panel floor, and the debut of the Block Button feature.^[15]

The winner was Imesh Sandeepa from Team Supun. The other finalists were Isaac Timothy, Lisara Fernando, and Rasindu Mihisara. Imesh Sandeepa was crowned the third winner of The Voice Sri Lanka following the grand finale on 14 June 2025.

Promotional releases

The franchise has released official musical tracks featuring its coaching panels to mark different seasons:

• "Nim Him Sewwa" (Season 1 Promotional Single): Shortly after Season 1 debuted, the original coaching panel recorded a collaborative promotional single—a bilingual Sinhalese and English cover of Pandit W. D. Amaradeva's iconic 1978 classic "Nim Him Sewwa." The music video amassed over 1.2 million views online,^[30] and the arrangement became a staple in coach Umaria Sinhawansa's live concert setlists.^[31] The promotional video ended with the slogan "Celebrating Our Music Legends of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," leading the public to refer to the original coach panel as the "Legend Coaches."^[30]
• "Yaksha Pelapatha" (Season 3 Theme Song): Marking the return of the show for its third season, the new coaching panel—Mihindu Ariyaratne, Hirushi Jayasena, Raini Charuka, and Supun Perera—released the official theme song "Yaksha Pelapatha" (යක්ෂ පෙළපත). Written by Chandana Sooriyabandara and composed by Tharindu Ranathunga, the high-energy track reflected the season’s revamped, youth-oriented branding.^[32]

The Voice Teens

The Voice Teens is the teenage version of The Voice in Sri Lanka. It premiered on Sirasa TV in February 2020 and is aimed at teenage singers. The first season was won by Hashen Dulanjana from Team Sanuka, while the second season was won by Pranirsha Thiyagaraja from Team Abhisheka. The third season premiered on 21 March 2026 and is currently airing. The third season is hosted by Julia Sonali, with Sanka Dineth, Yohani, Raini Charuka, and Yasas Medagedara initially serving as coaches.

The Voice Kids

The Voice Kids is the children's version of The Voice in Sri Lanka. It was introduced on Sirasa TV in 2023 as another age-specific version of the franchise, following The Voice Teens and The Voice Sri Lanka.