Tickets To Cathay Busker Jeff Ng’s Showcase Priced At $18 & $20; 75% Of Tickets Sold In Less Than A Day
Like it or not, Cathay busker Jeff Ng, 32, is back.
The singer had a meteoric rise to fame just two months ago, with his Saturday night performances outside The Cathay attracting huge crowds.
However, just as it seemed like the busker was poised for superstardom, his journey was cut short abruptly when he was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend verbally and emotionally.
Then, fellow musicians and members of the public came forward with accounts of how Jeff had demonstrated poor work ethics, shushed customers while he was performing at live music bars, chastised viewers for chatting amongst themselves in the comments section during his live streams, and even confronted netizens online for unfollowing him on social media.
Yikes.
Jeff has largely remained silent throughout the scandal, resurfacing only after the hubbub died down.
After his first live performance on July 30, he spoke to the media, saying: “I’ve learnt from the experience and grown up”.
A solo showcase.
Yesterday (Aug 18), local cinema operator Golden Village announced that they are working together with Jeff on a solo music showcase at their VivoCity cinema hall on September 9.
Jeff’s music showcase was promoted as the “second edition” of Golden Village’s Lights, Camera, Busking Live! event.
The inaugural edition of the event, which was held on August 6, had tickets priced at $12 for Golden Village members and $14 for members of the public.
It featured singing performances from buskers Jason Yu, Arya Yunata and Angie Goh, as well as a circus performance by Brylight and Jonathan Goh, and a LED dance performance by Min “Flavamint”. The ticket price also included a small popcorn and a bottle of green tea.
In contrast, tickets to Jeff’s event are priced at $18 for Golden Village members and $20 for members of the public, with no popcorn or drinks provided.
Jeff will also be holding an autograph session after the showcase for fans who fork out an additional $12 for his album.
And to that, netizens say...
Netizen reaction to the event was mixed.
Some were supportive, imploring for everyone to give Jeff a second chance. Like this netizen, who wrote: "My [favourite] local busker! Just bought four tickets! People come on let’s support him. His personality might not be that great in the past, but we are there to support his singing.”
Many other netizens, however, took the opportunity to joke about the choice of venue.
"Chose a cinema so I can't talk while he's performing?” one netizen commented, while another wrote: "Remember not to talk or laugh. Please clap after each song. No refunds if he decides to leave halfway.”
It's selling really well. Only the cyan seats are available for booking as of 3:15PM.
Despite the mixed reactions, it seems like there is still a sizeable fanbase supporting the musician.
As of press time, about 75 per cent of the seats available have been sold. The event was announced less than 24 hours ago.
According to the cinema's seating plan, the venue is able to hold around 600 people.
