Beyond Bourke Street

Born in Japan (in Kuwana, 30km from Nagoya), Blues artist George Kamikawa has been playing on the streets of Melbourne since the early 2000s. His journey as a busker started in New Zealand after observing a musician performing on the sidewalks of Auckland. Nowadays, George blends busking sessions with shows in venues, corporate gigs, and festival appearances in Australia and overseas.  Interview recorded on September 23, 2023 (Swanston Street, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Devil in Your Bed", "Sake Blues", "Black Water Blowing", "Early in the Morning", "Sandhill", "Mountain Rag", "Creeper". All songs written by George Kamikawa. Photo credit: Daniel Bacchieri https://www.georgekamikawa.com.au/

Multi-instrumentalist Umbra Moon believes social media changed the game for busking. The UK-born artist and producer has been a frequent street musician at the Bourke Street Mall, where their live sessions are constantly shared on social media platforms by passersby/fans. Interview recorded on August 10, 2023 (Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Fool Me", "Only U in the End", and "Temporary Healing". All songs written by Umbra Moon. Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/k_sacco/ https://linktr.ee/umbramoon

Rapper and producer Jwittit discovered himself as an artist during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne when he decided to invest his time in learning the fundamentals of music production. He has been freestyling in the streets of Melbourne ever since. Originally from Brisbane, Queensland, Jwittit shares enthusiasm regarding the 'Melbourne busking scene' through his production with other local street musicians. Interview recorded on August 19, 2023 (Cocker Alley, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Climb", "Moment", "Soaring", "Watch Out", "Didn't I", "Mirror", and "Should've Know". All songs written by Jwittit. Photo credit: Nauman https://www.instagram.com/naumanbadar/ https://www.instagram.com/jwittit/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/2XhIGArQu6tlQXkKEwaiAw

Parisian guitarist Tezzmakk enjoys presenting his work on the sidewalks of Swanston Street. The Blues-oriented player also likes to experiment through impromptu performances with other Melbourne buskers, exploring the encounters in a busy street to create new sounds. Interview recorded on August 19, 2023 (Cocker Alley, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Finally" (feat. Adrien Cayu, MosWavey & Tezzmakk) by Jwittit, "Sunset" (feat. Tezzmakk) by Jwittit, "Exactly" (feat. Joshua Caleb, MosWavey & Tezzmakk), by Jwittit and Leyvi. Photo credit: Daniel Bacchieri https://www.instagram.com/tezzmakk/

Australian/Indian/Swiss/German/Spanish ​ISHAN takes his multicultural musical influences to the streets of Melbourne. The singer-songwriter​ believes the online ​environment has become crucial for street performances and also reveals how busking in the Central Business District can be compared with his street music experience in the Melbourne suburbs (for instance, Hawthorn in the City of Boroondara). Interview recorded on June 30, 2023 (Zoom recording) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Hello", "Apologies", "Bad Dream", "Go", and "This Blank Wall". All songs written by ISHAN. Photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/ten.g.studios/ https://linktr.ee/ishanincaps

​Cutting their teeth as buskers in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall​ during the mid-2010s (along with local acts like Tash Sultana, Pierce Brothers, and Opal Ocean), "Heavy Flamenco"​ Malcura is ready to reconnect with the sidewalks of the Central Business District in 2023. Interview with guitarist Josh Voce recorded on June 26 and June 28, 2023 (Zoom recording) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Ayendi", "Black Cloud Float, Pt. 1", "Black Cloud Float, Pt. 2", "Keyzer Soze", "Captain Snus", "Malcura (Malcura II)". All songs written by Malcura. https://www.instagram.com/malcura https://twitter.com/malcuraband https://soundcloud.com/malcura https://open.spotify.com/artist/7sCanc3ETQqtB9YhbWTiXh

Bosnian-born singer-songwriter V Don Dada has been busking in Melbourne for the last seven years, mixing street performances at the Central Business District with impromptu gigs by the seashore. The hip-hop artist celebrates the busking events promoted by the City of Melbourne and believes that such programs are pivotal to providing a stable income for buskers. Interview recorded on June 26, 2023 (Zoom recording) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Redlight", "I Am", "My Kriptnite", "Big Girls Pants On", and "Six Thirty-Five". All songs written by V Don Dada. Photo credit: Jv Azores Carlos https://www.instagram.com/just.street__/ https://www.instagram.com/vdondada https://open.spotify.com/artist/5erZAnNBiXmsWRV8rnGtrR https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtxNVgQG0YQn22XTdEk_kqw

The Sicilian-born Margherita Benincasa chose the streets of Melbourne to try out her first busking session. The singer-songwriter defined her experience performing at Southbank and Melbourne Central Business District as a positive turning point in her career as a musician. Interview recorded on April 15, 2022 (Southbank, Melbourne) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the song "Inverno", written by Margherita Benincasa. Photo credit: Henry Lim https://linktr.ee/Margherita_bs

Originally from Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, the McDermott & North duo brought their Indie Folk Rock harmonies to the streets of Melbourne. While some buskers search the city's central area for recognition, Paddy (McDermott) and Rhys (North) look towards the suburbs of Melbourne and the countryside of Victoria to present their original songs. Interview recorded on April 25, 2022 (Banana Alley by the Yarra River, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Ally", "Broken Girl", "Everytime (I'm a Little Bit Like You)", "Georgia", "Sunshine Bank Holiday", "Through the Wind", "Anything Sally Says", written by McDermott & North. Photo credit: Alex Minnie Hutchison https://linktr.ee/McdermottAndNorth

Born in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (a union territory of India at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea), Honeyboy Des has been busking in Melbourne since 2006. Interview recorded on April 16, 2022 (Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the song "Lawrence School Reunion Song", written by Honeyboy Des. Photo credit: Honeyboy Des personal archive https://www.youtube.com/@HoneyboyDes https://www.instagram.com/honeyboydes/

Through his Italian and Indigenous Moroccan cultural backgrounds, singer and multi-instrumentalist Jad Pinnone presents a melting pot of rhythms while busking on the streets of Melbourne. Interview recorded on April 15, 2022 (Alexandra Gardens by the Yarra River, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the song "AÏCHA", written by Jad Pinnone. Photo credit: Shots by Dre https://www.instagram.com/_shotsbydre/ https://linktr.ee/jadpinnoneofficial

A regular Melbourne busker since 2020, Indian-born Mukul Jiwnani produced 'an ethnographic inquiry of how the current culture of musical busking in Melbourne CBD accommodates innovation for a musician and its implications for one’s creative practice' as part of his Master of Music at the Australian Institute of Music (AIM). Interview recorded on April 18, 2022 (Flinders Walk by the Yarra River, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the song "Brand New Tie", written by Mukul Jiwnani. Photo credit: Rachel May https://linktr.ee/mukuljiwnani

Gareth Wiecko is a Welsh-born pianist and producer living in Melbourne, where his busking sessions helped him pay for college (at the Australian Institute of Music) and played an essential role in obtaining a permanent resident visa in Australia. Interview recorded on April 16, 2022 (Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Pads", "IO", and "INNI". All songs were written by Gareth Wiecko. Photo credit: Daniel Bacchieri https://linktr.ee/garethwiecko

Originally from Bairnsdale (East Gippsland, Victoria), guitarist Adam Seidel was inspired by Melbourne buskers from the 2010s like Tash Sultana. Nowadays, he performs at Bourke Street Mall, treating the act of busking as his full-time job. Interview recorded on April 20, 2022 (Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from songs written by Adam Seidel. Photo credit: bc.visuals_ https://www.instagram.com/adamseidelmusic/

Having worked every type of gig, from pubs to stadiums worldwide, singer-guitarist John Crosbie found new inspiration in the “naked honesty” of busking solo on Melbourne’s streets. Interview recorded on May 30, 2023 (Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Brand New Day", "Eternal", "Here Close to You", "My Sanctuary", "Right Next to You", "I Need a Song". All songs written by John Crosbie. https://www.johncrosbie.com/

Singer Ashleigh Rose reflects on how busking built her confidence to perform on stage while sharing why she prefers to sing around the Southbank rather than the Bourke Street Mall. Ashleigh also highlights the use of TikTok and Instagram to promote her street music sessions and her relationship with other buskers, especially the ones she met when studying at the Australian College of the Arts (Collarts). Interview recorded on April 22, 2022 (Birrarung Marr, between Melbourne CBD and the Yarra River) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the song "Waiting Among Stars", written by Ashleigh Rose. https://linktr.ee/ashleighrosemusic

Indonesian-born Perth-raised and now based in Melbourne, pop/folk singer Leon Kroeber is focused on performing in the streets of the Central Business District to build his audience. Leon blends original songs with cover versions throughout his busking sessions on Swanston Street and Bourke Street. Interview recorded on June 8, 2023 (Swanston Street, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the song "Red", written by Leon Kroeber. https://www.instagram.com/imleonkroeber/ https://www.youtube.com/@imLeonKroeber https://open.spotify.com/artist/2PLPYcevxqMkWYFW5y5DzV https://www.tiktok.com/@imleonkroeber https://soundcloud.com/imleonkroeber Photo credit: Krish Miglani

From station to station (especially Southern Cross and Flinders railway stations in Melbourne), freestyle hip-hop artist Joshua Caleb considers the streets his main stage to perform. The half-Irish, half-Ghanaian composer/producer/trumpet player enjoys improvising during his live busking sessions, inspired by his connections with an audience passing through his eyes. Interview recorded on May 26, 2023 (outside Southern Cross Station, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "Respect to TMH", "Two Edge Blade", "Soul Train", "Sadly Glad", "City Kids", "Flinders Street Freestyle (Live)", "LML (Live My Life)", "Blasphemy". All songs written by Joshua Caleb. Photo credit: Jacob Gower https://www.instagram.com/thestoryofjoshua/ https://www.youtube.com/@TheStoryOfJoshua https://www.abc.net.au/triplejunearthed/artist/joshua-caleb/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/2GBVsvao92PsUfMLH665th

Singer-songwriter Keanu Jai is one of the new faces of the Melbourne busking scene. The pop artist, who just moved from Port Macquarie, New South Wales, regularly plays on Bourke Street Mall (Melbourne CBD) with a 100% original repertoire. Interview recorded on May 30, 2023 (Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the song "single bed", written by Keanu Jai. https://www.instagram.com/keanujaisays/ https://www.facebook.com/keanujaisays https://www.youtube.com/@keanujai8317 https://open.spotify.com/artist/6vnyAQ9NdvQs3ef228zcR7 https://www.abc.net.au/triplejunearthed/artist/keanu-jai/ https://soundcloud.com/keanujai Photo credit: Jess Gleeson

Melbourne-based rapper J Verse presents a melting pot of Hip Hop, R&B and Afrobeats​. ​The artist, born in Dubai, became a social media sensation while rapping for street celebrities. His TikTok video with NBA icon/DJ Shaquille O'Neal has more than 12,5 million views (https://www.tiktok.com/@jversee/video/7135448272344288514). Interview recorded on May 20, 2023 (Swanston Street, Melbourne Central Business District) by Daniel Bacchieri. Music excerpts from the songs "My Lil Dancer", "Take Too Long", "Star", "Why Can't We", "Losing You". All songs written by J Verse. https://www.tiktok.com/@jversee https://www.instagram.com/jverse/ https://www.youtube.com/c/judeeid https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HGo8l4MbcAYghnxg5kZmB