Week 6 - Interview with Jarvis: “Keep doing it, keep going, never falter”

“But I can’t help falling in love with you....”

If you have heard his lovely serenade opposite Mandarin Gallery every weekend, consider yourself a lucky wo(man).

This week, we set out to conduct our first in-depth interview with Jarvis, a rising local musician who busks along the busy roads of Orchard every Friday and Saturday evening. Despite his busy schedule as a part-time student, Jarvis agreed to an interview with us out of genuine kindness, and was dressed in casual tee and shorts when we met him for the first time at Coffee Bean Junction 8, Bishan.

How it All Started

Jarvis, 23 years old, is starting school at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) this coming week. Prior to this, he has had at least one year of busking experience at various destinations and had different musical encounters. “Music has always been what I wanted to do,” he said. When asked how he started off as a busker, he recounted his story to us. It turns out that Jarvis’ passion for music started during his secondary school days, where he attended aesthetic lessons with his friends. Then, he was inspired by mandarin pop singer Jam Hsiao, who rose to fame after taking part in the television singing competition ‘One Million Star’. Jarvis recalls: “He was like a nobody man. He was just a pub singer, and he learns everything himself. So I was just thinking, why can't I do it myself too?”

That was when he picked up the keyboard and guitar on his own and started performing small shows in school. He vividly recalls his first performance on Teacher’s Day, where he felt the positive energy from performing on stage.

When it was time to decide his next step in life after getting his ‘O’ level results, Jarvis opted for the pragmatic course of ‘Business Engineering’ instead of a diploma in ‘Music and Audio Technology’, which he has always dreamed of. But why? We questioned. Wasn’t music your passion? That was when he opened up to us about his concerns and the oppositions he faced from wanting to do music as a career. There are still negative societal perceptions of Singaporeans towards aspiring musicians, and Jarvis’ parents had exactly the same worries. They did not agree to him pursuing music for fear that he would not be able to “get a job” and “get by in life”, which resulted in Jarvis “settling for the safer path”, a choice that “(he) thought was wise”. The uncertainty and financial insecurity that came with being a musician weighed down on his mind.

The turning point came when Jarvis started asking these questions: What comes after this? What do I want to do beyond my studies? Then, he saw his siblings’ day to day life. Both of them are engineers. Is that what I really want to do? From then on, he decided to give music a shot. And he never looked back.

Jarvis started his first busking experience at Lower Selatar Reservoir, Khatib, following the footsteps of budding buskers in Europe, who would often start off their career by busking in parks. With no professional equipments, it was just him, his voice and a guitar. Jarvis recalls his first tip earned, $20 by a group of Malay ladies who sang along with him. “The right moment, and the right music, can really connect with people.”

Later, he went on to obtain a license under the Busking Scheme offered by the National Arts Council (NAC). We then found out that all buskers had to go through an audition: perform a total of 3 songs, of differing genres, in front of 3 judging panels. While Jarvis did not find the process difficult due to NAC’s increasing support for local talent, he learned an important lesson, that is: in order to successfully pass the audition, he needs to make sure he is audible. And so, a considerable amount of his savings went into investing in a proper sound system - consisting of cables, a mic stand, and a speaker. We also discovered an unspoken rule of “segmenting” buskers via the licensing system: Beginners tend to get allocated to heartland areas while more experienced buskers get tourist areas like Orchard Road. Thankfully, Jarvis was free to choose any locations he wanted to busk at because of his quality performing skills, and he settled on Ion Orchard, Bishan Park and Lower Seletar Park.

“If you have time, just give it a chance, you will never know what you’re passing by. That person might be the next big thing.”

A Path of Obstacles

Despite successfully obtaining a license, the road to success was not an easy one. When we asked about the challenges he faced during busking itself, we were shocked at some of his answers. Jarvis had several bad encounters with bypassers: ranging from disrespect of personal space, “trolls” who touch him out of mischief (he gets that quite often), verbal harassment, threats to “break his guitar strings” and even nearly getting robbed of his earnings. We wondered how he coped with these unsettling and unforeseen circumstances. To which he shrugs lightly, and replies that he has learned how to deal with situations like that, over time, in a calm and composed manner.

Jarvis commented that another challenge is first and foremost, being comfortable with singing on the streets. The challenge of “always having to bring something on the table to people every week" pushes him to do better each week. He said that people now look for the “originality of (your) music and (your) sound”, so one has to learn to be vulnerable in front of a wide audience. That, at the same time, is something that he finds joy in. “It’s passion and expression. I can express myself, whatever I feel, and share that part of me together with someone else. (Getting to) meet lots of people, although there are good and bad ones, but that’s just how life is, right?"

Not forgetting the hard work involved in lugging his heavy equipment with him wherever he goes, especially when the weather gets hot. He also faced territorial conflicts when new buskers come to occupy his usual busking spots. In the busking business, everyone wants to take advantage of places with high human traffic flow. As such, he has had various confrontations with other buskers when there were clashes in busking spaces. Either way, he has learned to communicate with fellow buskers about where and when to take turns busking, in a peaceful manner. Finally, Jarvis pointed out to us that busking is a passion that requires heavy monetary investment - with a large starting sum to purchase suitable equipment and a proper sound system.

Lessons Learned

Contrary to popular perceptions, buskers are not mere individuals blinded by passion. Jarvis shares with us a few important life lessons he picked up through his busking experience - things we might not learn from our ordinary classroom setting. Here are some quotes that encapsulate Jarvis’ reflections:

“Networking skills are really important. Especially in the show business, if you don’t have networks you are not going to make it. It’s not just about saying ‘Hi’, the most important is the personality factor. Whether you can click well with people.”

“Talent doesn’t ensure success. (Audience) engagement is really important because you’re interacting with people, you are dealing with people.”

“You have to learn to be brave and vulnerable. Challenging yourself is important. I want to challenge myself - to make people stop, make them stay. When people really sit down and listen to my singing, it gives me pleasure.”

Future Hopes and Aspirations Jarvis is striving towards producing his own music and establishing himself as an original musician in the local music scene. He wishes that people would recognize him as an original musician, rather than just a “cover singer”. Moving forward, he hopes to learn from Singaporean Chinese Pop Music lyricist Xiao Han, to improve his songwriting skills and to continue touching listeners with his music.

All in all, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Jarvis, for his genuine and spontaneous sharing that allowed us to gain much insights into the serious business of busking.

Thank You Jarvis!

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