Tristan Ong - The Clementi Mall - 7 Oct 2025

This is the third of the five busking sessions at The Clementi Mall which I went, featuring Tristan Ong.

As I have mentioned previously, Tristan also writes and performs his own songs, and he had at least one single out on the major music streaming platforms prior to his Battle of the Buskers-fame: an emo ballad titled "让爱转折", released in 2019. In October 2025, he released his third single, titled "小小的我", an uplifting song that can inspire individuals to hold on to their dreams and ultimately become the person they want to be.

Though for this busking session, I made a song request for his earlier release, titled "消磨殆尽" (translated into English as "exhausted and depleted"). This is a heartbreak ballad that was released six months prior, chronicling the slow, quiet fading of a relationship due to emotional withdrawal, miscommunication, and psychological exhaustion.

It is a song that I listen to on repeat. It reminds me of a local movie that I have watched in cinemas, titled Hi Noel, which is a Christmas-themed family film directed by Eric Wong about a young boy whose parents are having marital issues, and his imaginary friend named Noel as they try to salvage the boy's parents' marriage. There is this insert song titled "1+1", that was originally performed by Derrick Tham (谭志华) and covered by Careen Tham and fellow BotB alumnus Evan Goh in the film, and it conveys the relationship struggles the boy's parents, played by Jaime Teo and Dylan Quek, are facing, and their impending divorce.

"1+1" and "消磨殆尽" are different in terms of perspective - the duet version of the former has the viewpoints of both sides when they view their fracturing marriage, while the latter is a deeply intimate perspective of a single protagonist when it comes to a worn-out heartbreak. But they are very similar in lyrical subject matter, to the point that I listen to both songs together - both songs are melancholic, slow-tempo ballads that deal with troubled relationships and heartbreak. I personally recommend listening to both songs together: "1+1" first, then "消磨殆尽". Both are very good songs by two musically-talented buskers who have been on the same reality singing competition, and have been on the top 3.

消磨殆尽 (original)

袖手旁观 [originally performed by Chyi Chin (齐秦)]

This song is released in 1995 as part of Chyi Chin's studio album "Painfully Happy" (痛并快乐着). It has been covered by several musicians including Terry Lin and Jam Hsiao.