Arjunan Manuelpillai
To his friends he is Arji, but to many in the music industry he is The Leano; a performance poet, rapper and writer who has created a wide variety of work in his 27 years. He learnt his trade at the University of Hull, leaving with a degree in English and Drama and a collection of short plays. Whilst there, he cultivated an overwhelming love for the stage, per- forming both theatre and music. While performing in schools he realised his love for teaching, facilitating and creating children’s theatre. His rap and poetry workshops have reached some of the most deprived communities in the UK and encouraged young people to express themselves through lyrics and rhythm. The release of two personal albums has brought him national airplay and allowed him to tour on a national scale. Re- cently Arji has become the lead vocalist for ‘Oojami’ and this has meant international shows and distribution.
