Street performers or buskers are a common sight at various locations around Kuala Lumpur, including at the Sogo shopping centre and along Jalan Bukit Bintang.
At any one time, they could attract hundreds of passersby to stop, listen and, hopefully, spare them some change.
Their activities, however, came to a halt - along with a loss of income - as the movement control order came into force on March 18.
Even so, a group of buskers have taken their talents to the Internet, performing live on social media with a call for donations from new viewers and loyal fans.
Permanently based at KL Sentral station, musician Meor Yusof Aziddin told Malaysiakini that the order period has forced him to embrace other alternatives to earn a living.
"I've been busking online since March 22. The idea came from the Malaysian Buskers Club president Wady Hamdan.
"Quite a few buskers have taken to performing online, via Facebook live," Meor said.
The singer and author added that he would continue to perform live online for the duration of the order period - with a daily list of around 12 cover songs.
His song list includes evergreen hits such as Yesterday by The Beatles and the religious song Tuhan by Indonesia's Bimbo.
Throughout his performances, Meor appeals for donations to be channelled to his CIMB account - 7011201414.
"The amount received varies, depending on my luck. Just like ordinary busking, it could be little or a lot.
"At least I try and there are Facebook friends who share their support," he said.
In the comment section, his viewers - up to 500 a day - left requests and supportive messages for him to continue entertaining them.
Meanwhile, Wady told Malaysiakini the idea for buskers to perform online came to him spontaneously.
"I just had a spontaneous idea on how they can continue to make a living.
"I shared the idea in our buskers WhatsApp group, and one by one they started and supported each other.
"For now, they say it is okay and they got some income, which is better than nothing," he said.
Wady noted that full-time buskers with no other source of income were among groups badly affected by the Covid-19 outbreak and movement control order.
"Some who have savings, they are okay.
"Those with no savings and high commitments, they are feeling the pinch from the movement control order," he added.
The government imposed a movement control order from March 18 to March 30 to flatten the curve of Covid-19 infections.
The numbers of both domestic and international visitors at various attractions around the country have also dwindled since early this year. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.