'Just strum, act blur': Busker takes criticism in stride after heckler yells 'it doesn't sound good!'

Talk about a musician's worst nightmare.

A local musician took to social media on Sunday (Feb 11) after getting heckled during his busking session at Paya Lebar on the first day of Chinese New Year.

Wrote Evan Goh: "The first time I busked on Chinese New Year and auntie yelled, "It doesn't sound good!"".

In the 40-second clip posted, Goh can be seen strumming his guitar and singing a Chinese ballad by Tanya Chua. 

Engrossed in his song, Goh was visibly taken aback when a woman to his right, behind the camera suddenly exclaimed in Mandarin: "It doesn't sound good!"

Instead of getting disheartened, the busker wrote in his post: "Everyone has their own preferences, so as a performer, I don't mind. Instead, I have to reflect, make progress, and practice."

Goh, who participated in local reality TV show Battle of the Buskers last year, shared that he is glad the woman expressed her opinion about his performance boldly. 

"Whatever the case, don't take it personally because the criticism is about the performance, not the person. Keep working, keep striving, keep improving," wrote the performer in his post. 

Garnering 166,000 views on Instagram and over 500 comments, Goh's post has received overwhelming support from netizens.

Apart from praising Goh for his positive response towards the situation, many also complimented him on his singing. 

Celebrities such as Desmond Tan and other local personalities also chimed in, giving Goh words of encouragement to continue singing. 

Thankful for the support, Goh replied in the comments stating that such encounters are "part and parcel of busking".

A few also explained that the auntie's comment might be due to Goh singing a melancholic song on a celebratory occasion.

As someone who proclaims to "like singing sad songs", Goh responded to the comments: "Fair point! not sure why ballads are disrespectful or inappropriate on CNY... do all radio stations, media outlets ban all ballads as well?"

AsiaOne has reached out to Goh for comment. 

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ashwini.balan@asiaone.com