Hong Kong singer-songwriter Moon Tang is living the dream. Now 24, the rising star has had several solo concerts, and has more than 60K followers on Instagram, 1.8 million listeners on Spotify and a contract with Warner Music Hong Kong. This wasn’t what Tang pictured when she started out with a simple musical dream at 15. “I met friends from other schools, with whom I formed a squad to busk. We just wanted to sing and be heard because there was no opportunity at school to showcase our songs beyond the campus.”
The “squad” busked after school, during weekends and on holidays. Earning HK$1,000 per day was a nice reward for the then secondary school student, but Tang feels what she gained most from busking can’t be measured in monetary terms. “I was a very shy person. Busking helped me bring myself out there,” she says. “It was a nice feeling when strangers stopped by and circled around us to watch our performances.”
Busking is one of singer-songwriter Alfred Wu Hok-hin’s favourite hobbies and a good side business. The 28-year-old has been doing it since 2013, earning a few thousand dollars a day, and indulging in his love of interacting with an audience. “Busking
