Kuala Lumpur wants to go all folksy with its contribution to Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026).
For the city’s buskers, that means a call to switch to traditional and folk music rather than covering the romantic ballads of popular artists. More gamelan; less electric guitar.
Kuala Lumpur’s leaders are pushing for the city’s 374 licensed buskers to help establish the capital as a cultural hub.
Zaliha Mustafa, Malaysia’s minister in charge of federal territories, wants visitors to learn about traditional Malaysian music and believes street buskers can help promote the initiative by incorporating more classical music and instruments, such as the gamelan, into their performances.
“Buskers are also urged to be more presentable, dress modestly during their performances and be more professional and polite when interacting with their audience,” Zaliha said during a parliamentary session.
“We hope buskers in Kuala Lumpur will grow into a unique element of art that will help build Kuala Lumpur as a cultural city by Visit Malaysia Year 2026,” Zaliha added.