Eye Candy: We Talk Music And Passion With Jason Yu, Busker Turned Singer-Songwriter

PUBLISHED September 18th, 2020 09:00 am

It takes nerves of steel to stand on the streets and sing, but Jason Yu has made a name for himself doing just that. Post-National Service, this singer-guitarist began busking along Orchard Road, serenading the nighttime crowds with a medley of pop hits. The experience was his springboard to a full-fledged music career – he released his first single, Hearts Release, in 2018. Fresh off the release of his 2020 single Now I Know, we catch up with him about his busking days, his latest track, and his love for video games.

Hi Jason! Busking in Singapore seems pretty bold – what gave you the starting push?

I’ve always loved performing, but never put myself out there to look for gigs because I felt inadequate about how little performing experience I had. What really pushed me to get into it was when a friend showed me a photo of a busker on Orchard Road, performing to about a hundred-strong crowd. I was so surprised to learn that people in Singapore actually do stop for buskers, and I thought to myself that it’d be fun to try doing the same. So I did!

Do you remember your very first time busking?

I’d found myself a spot outside the Marina Bay Sands Shoppes, accompanied by a couple of friends for moral support. I told myself: “It’s just busking, people might not even pay attention and you’ve got nothing to be scared of”, but I was pretty nervous. I had only prepared a repertoire of seven songs (a testament to how little experience I had at the time), and once I’d performed the seventh song I would just repeat my set list over and over.

What I got out of that first busk, however, stayed with me. The feeling of having strangers come to watch you perform, and show their appreciation for you – it really is a feeling like no other. Later, I counted what gratuity I’d collected in my cardboard box, and to my surprise I’d received S$47! While that sum might not seem like much, I’d never expected to be able to make a sizable amount through busking. The fact that I could make some money while doing what I loved really blew my mind.

We bet you’ve had a lot of memorable moments from your busking days.

Oh definitely. There were times when I had to deal with unruly or intoxicated people – in one instance a guy wanted to perform something, so I let him. But then he wouldn’t let go of my guitar and someone in the audience had to call the police for me! Then there was the time I received a kiss on the cheek while I had my eyes closed… which I didn’t really mind if I’m being honest!

But the one that left the biggest impact on me was when a tourist in his 50s came up to tell me how much he enjoyed my playing, and that he’d noticed how my music touched the audience as well as himself. Later that night, he sent me a long letter on how strongly he felt about my passion for performing, and even offered to gift me cash through wire transfer. I guess this incident has stuck with me, not only because it was just my third busk, but because I could sense how genuine his words were. This stranger believed in me, and if I had needed motivation then to continue pursuing music, that would have been it.

What’s one thing most people might not know about Singapore’s busking scene?

Like all things involving money and people, things amongst buskers can get political – and even territorial. While the busking rules state that all allocated locations are on a first-come-first-serve basis, there are times when some buskers feel more entitled than others. That said, people generally get along well and play nice with one another, and the busking community in Singapore is slowly growing into something really special.

Your latest single, Now I Know, is fraught with regret and loss. Do you mind sharing more about the story behind the song?

Now I Know came from a place of hurt and confusion. I wrote the song after a fall-out – I had all these thoughts about what went wrong, doubts about decisions I’d made, coming to terms with moving on and letting the person I treasured go. I did some questionable things which made that person leave me, and Now I Know is about bearing the consequences, learning from it, and becoming better.

The artwork for Now I Know is seriously stunning – the water, the desert reds and blues. Could you tell us more about that?

Thank you so much! The water represents all the emotions I was entangled in – I was submerged in a pool of my negative feelings and I was desperately trying to break free. The contrast of colours across various photos – moving from a saturated orange to a cooler blue – symbolizes how I’ve dealt with the pain, from struggle to acceptance. And the reflection in the cover art references how I portrayed myself in the relationship – I was dishonest and never fully presented myself, but merely projected a persona of how I’d wanted to be perceived.

What do you feel are some major challenges for those trying to build a music career in Singapore?

I could argue that the size of our music market makes things challenging for people trying to pursue a music career here, but then I would be discounting the leaps and strides our scene has undergone in recent times. While what we have might seem small, even compared to our neighbours like Malaysia and Indonesia, we do have the talent and the potential to create a vibrant music scene.

Sure, most Singaporeans generally aren’t interested in local music or the arts at all. But I think it’s then our job to be the flagbearers, to create work that will make the rest of the country interested. I might sound overly optimistic, but I do believe one day Singaporeans will start supporting local.

Music aside, what’s your favourite thing to do in your free time?

I love playing video games. It might sound weird coming from a musician, but I believe video games to be the ultimate form of media. Video games nowadays have so much to them – brilliant storytelling and narratives, stellar music (sometimes even fully orchestrated), and an interactivity that makes them special.

What’re you working on right now?

Now I Know was released not too long ago, but I’m continuously finding inspiration to write and create more music! Collaborative projects with other artistes are something I’m definitely looking into. I’m on my last semester in university, and on the cusp of being a full-time musician now, so don’t be too surprised if you hear a new single from me soon… and eventually, an EP. Stay tuned!

Keep up with Jason on Instagram and YouTube. 

All photos courtesy of Jason Yu.