Busker who won hearts at Pasir Ris MRT station reacts to Stomp feature: 'It made me happy'
When a Stomper stopped in awe of a talented busker at Pasir Ris MRT station, she had no idea she was watching someone with over six years of experience performing on Singapore's streets.
Sean Jose, who is a live audio engineer by profession, told Stomp he started busking in 2018 as part of a group, before branching out as a solo act a year later after gaining more confidence.
"I frequently busk at Pasir Ris and Tampines MRT stations in the early afternoons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays," the 30-year-old musician shared.
His love for music was sparked by his uncle, who introduced him to country and classic tunes when he was just 11 years old.
That early influence evolved into his own style over time, shaped by artists like Ed Sheeran during his '+' and '×' eras.
"I think I picked up a lot of my strumming techniques then," he said.
"That is probably the reason why my favourite songs to play are classics, which are heavily influenced by my uncle but also with a little bit of pop music in the mix."
Sean added that his personal favourite song that he always tries to include in his set when performing is Santana's Smooth featuring Rob Thomas.
"It always gives someone a reason to bop their head to a familiar tune, including myself!"
The busker admitted he hasn't been focused on social media and only found out he was featured on Stomp a few days after the article was published.
"It did take me by surprise, but more importantly, it made me happy knowing that people can relate to the music I play daily!" the musician said.
He recounted one heartwarming moment while busking: "A father carrying his infant child was slow dancing with his kid to the music. It says a lot about how music can make someone's day a little better."
Despite the physical effort of lugging equipment around and dealing with rainy weather, Sean said the payoff of being a busker is worth it and a "good price to pay to play in the streets of Singapore".
"What I love about busking is being able to play songs I love, and knowing people around are listening and maybe relating to them -- like how a tune can bring back the nostalgic feeling of listening to a particular song when you were younger or one that can remind you of your loved one," he shared.
"The best part of being a busker is you just need that second of eye contact with someone to know you're making their day."
