Sabah-born Elvis Pilep, 31, along with fellow street musicians are now able to breathe a sigh of relief after getting the green light from the government to perform, enabling them to earn a living again which was disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The former music teacher of a private school said since the pandemic hit the country, they were not able to perform at places that have been set by the buskers’ association in the state, Sabah Buskers Community (SBC).
“My income is better now since busking is allowed again. I sing modern and commercial songs,” he told Bernama.
A graduate of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Elvis said among his favourite songs by Presley are Blue Suede Shoes, Can’t Help Falling in Love and My Way.
Elvis, who also performs under SBC, said the street musicians under the group take turns to sing according to the schedule and location arranged by the association.
He said he performs solo at several places, including the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) and shopping malls around Inanam.
“I normally sing 60 to 90 songs in each performance, including songs requested by the audience,” he said, adding that to maintain his stamina, he would exercise and do warm-up activities before performing.
Meanwhile, Hendry Jublin, 52, who turned to busking for income after losing his job as a project manager at a company during the movement control order (MCO), said it was a relief that busking is now allowed.
“I was among employees in the company who were laid off, and I’m now using my talent to earn a living by playing the bamboo flute which I made.
“During the MCO, l performed live on Facebook, but the income was not good. Sometimes, I only get RM20,” said Hendry, who also plays the piano and keyboard.
The father of five said four of his children are also good at playing musical instruments and they have formed a family group of musicians known as “Canang Buskers”.
They often perform at Jalan Gaya and KKIA, he added.
The government allowed street musicians or full-time buskers nationwide to perform in restaurants and food stalls from Feb 25, but with strict compliance to the SOPs.