Sri Lankan-born a cappella artist hachajah received significant international recognition after winning two [02] awards - ‘Best Electronic/ Experimental Video’ and ‘Best Indie Video’, at the A Cappella Video Awards (AVAs), recently held in Los Angeles, CA, USA, for his original a cappella music video Mind Gag.


The A Cappella Video Awards are presented annually by the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA) and recognise excellence in video production within the global a cappella community. The awards aim to promote innovation, creativity, and continued artistic development within the medium. In addition to his two wins, hachajah earned six [06] nominations for Mind Gag, a remarkable accomplishment in a highly competitive field. He was also named runner-up in four categories: ‘Outstanding Special/Visual Effects’, ‘Outstanding Video Editing’, ‘Best Video by a Non-Scholastic Group’, and ‘Best Alternative Video’.


Performing under the name hachajah, Charith Peris, who grew up in Colombo and is now based in Boston, Massachusetts, is known for creating original a cappella compositions that fuse mainstream pop structures with Sri Lankan rhythmic patterns, vocal textures, and musical influences.


Commenting on his EP released last year, hachajah stated: “The new EP titled ‘What Lies Within’ opens out a whole new level of depth, expressing emotions that are left unsaid in many spaces. It dives into complex topics with the songs ‘Mind Gag’ and ‘Tan Q’ exploring themes of mental health and ‘Desensitized’ exploring trauma, topics that I feel are important but do not get the attention they so desperately need. Like my previous songs, these are also narratives based on personal experiences in Sri Lanka. However, they encompass much broader ideas than just my own story.”


In addition to the two [02] AVA wins, Mind Gag also received ‘Best Drama Music Video’ at the International Music Video Awards (IMVAs) in October 2025, and ‘Best Pop Music Video’ at the Europe Music Video Awards in December 2025.