Cathay busker Jeff Ng welcomes first child, a boy

SINGAPORE – The Cathay Busker is now a dad.

Local singer-songwriter Jeff Ng has welcomed his first child, a boy, with his wife, Ms Zona Tay.

The 34-year-old announced the happy news in an Instagram post on March 11, accompanied by photos of his wife and son, Jayzen, who was delivered that day. Ng and Ms Tay, a 27-year-old civil servant, married in 2021.

Addressing his wife on Instagram, he wrote in Chinese: “You’re so amazing, you’ve worked hard these past nine months.”

He also thanked his followers for their blessings.

In an interview with Chinese-language Shin Min Daily News, Ng said he was performing at a restaurant in Seletar Aerospace Park on the night of March 10 when he received news that his wife was experiencing contractions.

He rushed home and took her to the hospital. After 13 hours of labour, Jayzen was born on March 11 at 1.23pm and weighed 2.89kg.

Ng said of being a first-time father: “I feel so touched and also fascinated by it all. My baby is so cute and he reminds me that from now on, I can’t just take care of myself, I have to take care of him well and raise him up properly.”

He added: “After a baby is born into this world, he is bound to face complications in his life – he will meet good people and bad people alike. As parents, what I hope is that we can become his strongest support in life, provide him guidance when he faces difficulties, teach him to know right from wrong and cultivate in him the ability and courage to face challenges head on.”

Ng first shot to fame in 2022, drawing crowds of thousands with his covers of Mandopop hits busking outside shopping centre The Cathay. It earned him the nickname The Cathay Busker.

He went on to hold a concert in 2023 at National Library’s Drama Centre Theatre, and has released original singles such as Imperfect Song (2022) and I’m Lucky To Have You (2023).

His new song Dear Baby, inspired by fatherhood, will be released on March 28.