FROM STREET TO STAGE

Singers Jeff Ng and Soo Sheng Li share how busking gigs have honed their talent and opened doors to more lucrative shows

- Benson Ang

The next time you hear a busker crooning outside the MRT station, take a good look at the face.

One day, you might be paying for a concert ticket just to hear the same voice.

A handful of Singaporean buskers have not only used their free performances to develop their craft and win over fans, but also ventured into ticketed gigs and solo concerts.

According to figures from the National Arts Council (NAC), some 2 per cent of endorsed buskers in Singapore currently identify themselves as full-time performers.

More than 500 valid letters of endorsement (LOEs) have been issued as at January 2026. This figure has grown from over 300 in January 2024 and more than 400 in January 2025.

Of the valid LOES, 95 per cent are classified as music acts, with about 5 per cent considered street theatre and movement acts. Less than 1 per cent are visual arts acts.

Ms Aruna Johnson, NAC’s director of arts ecosystem group (access and community engagement), tells The Straits Times: “We are seeing fresh and innovative acts such as dancing holograms and live typewritten poetry, and contemporary movement acts such as K-pop dancing, reflecting an evolving and more diverse busking scene as buskers seek to bring the arts to engage audiences in our everyday spaces.”

ST speaks to two buskers who are making breakthroughs.

Viral 'Cathay busker' Jeff Ng to hold sixth concert

Come March 21, Jeff Ng, widely regarded as Singapore's most successful busker, will put on his sixth and most visually complex ticketed show.

His 90-minute solo concert at the HaveFun Live Show entertainment venue at Bugis+ will feature a T-shaped stage surrounded by more than 8,000 lights, creating an immersive experience for some 400 fans.