London is one of the biggest cities in the world, not just for its size, but also for the people who live there. There are many people from different backgrounds and nationalities and that makes it a special multicultural home in Europe. Besides that, one of the things that amazed me the most, during my stay in this city, was the street artists, who perform every day.
If you had the chance to walk around London a year ago, you would have seen people singing, dancing, painting and practising every form of art possible, on main areas, such as Piccadilly and Leicester Square. When I started my YouTube channel, I thought that it would be cool to interview a couple of street artists to help people know more about this.
In Greece, busking is not as popular as elsewhere, and in some countries, it’s even illegal or it’s considered something that poor people do in order to get money from those who pass by. Although, that is not true, and not entirely what busking means in London. Sure, those people get money for their performances from the people who pass by and admire their singing but most of them are also singing in events or trying to publish their own music track.
I had two interviews with singers whom I found and contacted through social media. Surprisingly, they were both more than happy to talk to me and answer all my questions. In their own way, they both told me that busking is a way of expression and they want people to hear their songs and make their day. One of them actually told me that he met Jared Leto a couple of years ago during one of his visits to London and he sang with him.
There are a lot of new things that you can see and appreciate in this city. It always leaves you amazed.
Eirini Pantelidou
