One of the best known and most honoured singers of Sri Lanka, Malini's choice of singing themes are based on real life and social-cultural situations.

[2] Nanda was born on 23 August 1943 as the fourth child to a rural family of nine in Lewwanduwa in Aluthgama, Sri Lanka.

She moved to Kotahena in Colombo as an adolescent and was admitted to Sri Gunananda Vidyalaya where she came under the tutelage of T. N. Margaret Perera.

After winning the poetry contest, Radio Ceylon W. D. Amaradeva invited Nanda to take part in a song, she sang the song Budu Sadu written by Asoka Colombage and set to music by D. D. Danny on Karunaratne Abeysekera's popular program known as Lama Mandapaya on Radio.

[3] The songs Pipunu Male Ruwa, Sudu Hamine, and Kada Mandiye attest to her effort to expose the hearts of women.

[7] Some of Nanda's popular songs, such as Manda Nawa Karanawa, show a humorous and sensitive account of a young woman's experience of loneliness.

[7] After 22 years her newest solo musical concert titled "Shwetha Rathriya" was held with the collaboration of Sirasa FM in 2010.

[4] On 8 September 2007, she launched her CD Etha Kandu Yaye comprising a collection of 16 award winning songs.