Buskers return to perform live at festival after 2-year ban due to Covid-19 pandemic
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Music band Cosmic Alley performing at the Buskers' Festival at the PSB Academy in Marina Square on April 2, 2022.
ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Ryan Goh
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SINGAPORE - After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, busking made a grand return on Saturday (April 2) at a busking festival that featured 10 acts in Marina Square.
Outdoor live performances, which were banned from April 7, 2020, had been allowed once again since last Tuesday when Covid-19 safe management measures were eased.
The Buskers' Festival on Saturday, organised by private educational institution PSB Academy in partnership with The Buskers' Association, aimed to raise awareness and funds for buskers whose livelihoods were affected by the pandemic.
While the performances on PSB's Marina Square campus were free for the public to enjoy, the more than 500 attendees, who streamed in and out at various times, were encouraged to tip to show their support for the buskers.
One of the peformers was Mr Muhammad Firdaus Osman, 27, who has been busking since 2016.
He told The Straits Times that the pandemic hit him hard - not being able to do what he loved affected him not only financially, but mentally as well.
"Without busking and performances, I was forced to find another source of income. It was mentally exhausting because I was a full-time musician before Covid-19 hit and it is my passion and also an outlet for me to express myself," said Mr Firdaus, who sings with a guitar.
An engineer by training, he took on a job as an electrical engineer to tide him through this period.
MP for Nee Soon GRC Louis Ng, who was guest of honour at the festival, said: "I want to say a big thank you to the buskers of Singapore. They are back on the streets this weekend and they are really the ones who bring the colour to this very grey concrete jungle that we live in."
He added that he is grateful to The Buskers' Association for its work in uplifting buskers, and the PSB Academy for hosting the event.
Another busker who sang with his guitar on Saturday was Mr Jason Yu, 27. He said: "The struggle of finding a different source of income during the pandemic was not an easy ride."
Having spent five years refining and building up his musical skills as a busker, not being able to perform hit him mentally as well, he added.
During the ban on outdoor performances, Mr Yu focused on brand-sponsored posts on social media and selling merchandise.
Both Mr Yu and Mr Firdaus are looking forward to busking full-time again.
"I've been looking for a silver lining the past two years, and with the easing of safe management measures, things are finally starting to look up," Mr Yu said.
Mr Firdaus, who plans to quit his engineering job and return to busking, added: "It has been two years since any of us were able to perform freely on the streets. Now we can start using our busking speakers and instruments and make the streets lively again."
