The ETC: Final Interview and Thoughts

For our last interview, we reached out to long time band member of The ETC, Tristan Ong. The group has played at weddings, restaurants and cafes and have now added busking into their list of repertoire early this year.

Why did The ETC decided to busk?

According to Tristan, the band members have known each other for a very long time – spanning years at time and they usually take turns busking depending on their availability. “We started because we wanted to do something new for music this year, something we’ve never tried before. So far, the experience has been overwhelming because we face many surprises when we perform outdoors”.

They consider themselves different from other buskers as they open up dedication requests from the audiences. Regulars can either request for songs on their Facebook page or come up to them during their busking sessions. So far, the responses have been welcoming. “We often get positive comments on Facebook and people would sometimes buy us food or drinks. For example, we’ll get mooncakes during the festival or mineral water. We’ve probably stocked up quite a bit of mineral water since audience members love giving us that *laughs*. A couple even made us mini ornaments of us.” (See Below)

Busking Challenges

As a long time performer, Tristan shared some of the challenges faced by buskers:

Location Woes

NAC allows buskers up to five spot under the licensing scheme. However, not all locations are ideal.

“We realised that certain spots are not suitable for busking after applying for our license. Some places do not have any crowd and it’s weird that NAC’s approved list of location includes stages you see around flats. Buskers don’t need a stage and no one will go up on stage just to drop a donation”.

Although the band brought this issue to the NAC, the council replied that location options are largely out of their control. According to the NAC, each area requires the approval from vendors and shops owners nearby before it is made available as a busking spot. Tristan says that it boils down to expectations. “We were new and didn't know we were supposed to conduct location recce ourselves. We just assumed that the locations given by NAC are good but that’s not the case”.

Furthermore, their group also face territorial disputes with other buskers and recalls an incident where their group had to move 3 times in a single day. “You cannot expect the place to be waiting for you. Usually, you need to work out a schedule with others or be early to get the spot. It’s also difficult dealing with the older busker…they usually don’t understand the logic of first come first serve so we’ll just avoid to please them”

Dealing with Stereotypes

As noted in our previous reflections, buskers are often confused as beggars. “Singapore is still not very open to the idea of busking. They see it as something done by the old and by people who cannot earn much elsewhere.” Although people around him questions his choice to busk, Tristan remains unfazed. “When someone I knew asked me why I quit my job to do this, I said it’s because I really like it…it’s really interesting and it’s something I should try out while I’m still young”.

He also reflects that this stereotype is sometimes perpetuated by certain groups. For example, some buskers play on the sympathy on others – a stereotype that goes against what buskers want. “We don’t want others to pity us. There’s been cases where we were just setting up and have not even started playing and someone just drops coins into our box. I guess the culture is still rooted in pity”.

How are buskers treated?

Tristan prides his group as one of the few experienced buskers in Singapore. They recognise that their band varies from the younger buskers who tend to busk at areas such as Orchard. “We got Orchard but dropped it because that’s not our vibe.” He said that tourists are not as generous as most people think and people tend in the city are less likely to stop and stay around. “It’s more relaxing in the heartland areas. I also find that people aged 30 or 40 and over are more appreciative than younger ones”.

Troublemakers do occasionally appear. “Drunk people will just come and disturb you and aspiring singers who insist to sing with us”. He hopes that Singaporeans can be more open to the concept of busking since “it’s not that era where it’s (busking) is for old people or the handicapped. We earn our trade by practicing. It’ll be good if Singaporeans can be more supportive of the artistic movement in Singapore”.

He also shared that NAC seems to be more “interested in numbers than quality” of the buskers. “We have to renew our license soon and we realised that they changed the rule last July. Instead of having auditions for all, it’s limited to the first 80 buskers so it’s a test of who’s early rather than talent”. NAC programs are also skewed to groom younger buskers. One of the criteria to be considered for the Busker award’s is to be 35 years old and below, thus excluding buskers who might be talented but do not quality due to this age restriction.

He also shared that auditions were mainly conducted by the The Presenting Company, a local event company which sources productions in Singapore. Subcontracting the busker scheme to an external vendor also comes with issues. “I feel that they are usually unresponsive…not enough people in the office or imposing difficult restrictions (on us).”

Despite these challenges, Tristan urges aspiring buskers not to give up and to keep trying. He shares that because people who stop to listen his busking performances do it out of choice, it motivates him to perform his best.

Final Thoughts

This last interview with Tristan was truly an eye-opening experience. His concerns not only match the concerns of others but also highlights the larger role of NAC in creating actual change. We hope that the solutions proposed are able to reduce the challenges faced by buskers and foster a positive climate for buskers in Singapore. A huge thank you to every busker who agreed to let us pick their brain during our sit-down interviews.