Silver Hype - Beo Crescent Market - 13 Apr 2025

Today we are headed to a new busking location featuring a group that I had always wanted to feature in the previous season, but never found the time to chase after. And they are probably older than anyone I've chased after, but they are actually young at heart.

This time, I'm headed to Beo Crescent Market, a location that is a short walk away from Tiong Bahru MRT station. This location is tucked away from the busier Tiong Bahru Road, located in a more mature estate in the Havelock area, where you can find equally affordable hawker fare. Did I mention that there is also a rather well-known fried rice stall? And this location is more or less an alternative for buskers to perform in the Tiong Bahru area, especially as the Tiong Bahru Market would be closed for a three-month repair and redecoration period later on. This is a new busking location onboarded earlier in the year, open daily for buskers to perform from 10a.m. to 2p.m.

And... I would like you to meet Silver Hype, comprising of guitarist Davidson Teo and vocalist Gillian Goh. You might remember back in Instagram, I had covered them once in one of their gigs back in the leap day of 2024, but to truly go to one of their busking sessions is truly an honour. They met as colleagues while working in the insurance industry and found shared interests (especially singing) which cemented their long-time friendship. They began busking after their retirement and are actively performing around Singapore, singing in different languages (including Malay and dialects) to reach diverse audiences, from the elderly to even the young, and is an inspiration to retirees to encourage them to stay active and engaged. They have even been featured on blogs and news outlets such as AIC Stories and Lianhe Zaobao.

The two songs I've picked from this busking session are:

• Top of the World (originally performed by the Carpenters)
  • This is probably the most recognizable Carpenters song, performed by the sibling musical duo Richard and Karen Carpenter. This feel-good song was initially supposed to be an album cut, but became a single after country singer Lynn Anderson's cover version became a success. This is the first Carpenters song to be featured in Season 2 of the Busking Chase.
• 出界 [originally performed by Sammi Cheng (郑秀文)]
  • Cantopop diva Sammi Cheng is probably more well-known for singing fast tempo songs (think: 眉飞色舞, 独一无二), but she is also known for singing songs that are not too fast (e.g. 值得, 不要惊动爱情). This song describes the contradictory psychology of blurred boundaries and fear of emotional deterioration in emotional relationships.

Top of the World (originally performed by the Carpenters)

出界 [originally performed by Sammi Cheng (郑秀文)]