Veteran singer Alfred Ho, 72, who’s blind, used to eke a living as a busker on the KLCC LRT station concourse in Kuala Lumpur, incomes between RM100 and RM250 every week.
Then the pandemic struck, inflicting Ho to lose his major supply of revenue due to well being and security protocols.
“My income has dropped to zero since March 2020. When I used to busk, people would buy my CDs after hearing my live performances.
“But nowadays, it’s difficult to promote my CDs as I don’t have an avenue to promote my songs,” mentioned Ho in an interview in Kuala Lumpur just lately.
Instead of sitting idle at his condominium in Kuchai Lama, the musician has made good use of the assorted motion management orders to be taught to introduce his songs on a social karaoke app known as WeSing.
With the assistance of his spouse, part-time paediatric nurse Rufina Baptist, 62, the couple has recorded over 900 songs and uploaded them on the app.
Ho additionally plans to launch a few compilation CDs to earn some revenue.
“The pandemic hit us hard and it’s tough to make ends meet.
Baptist (left) using a smartphone to record her husband Ho’s songs before uploading them online. Ho also plans to release a few compilation CDs soon.
“Thankfully, I am receiving some financial help from Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanahair and the welfare department.
“The irony is I am willing to busk but it’s difficult to do so due to Covid-19,” mentioned the Perak-born Ho, who was struck blind after a bout of measles when he was three.
In the final two years, Baptist has been utilizing her trusty smartphone to report Ho’s renditions within the living room of their two-bedroom condominium and importing them on WeSing.
But not like individuals who have a good grasp of computer systems and the Internet, Baptist admitted flat out that she struggled to promote her husband’s work on social media platforms.
“I am not a tech-savvy person and we don’t have an editing software. So when Alfred sings, it has to be the full song without any mistakes.
“When his pitching or guitar chords aren’t right, we’d have to re-record the entire song.
“Sometimes it can take us many hours to record just one or two songs,” Baptist lamented.
Despite the challenges, Baptist has managed to add over 200 of Ho’s songs on his YouTube channel and she’s additionally created a blog for her loving husband.
Ho’s vocal prowess ranges from soothing ballads to rock and roll, and his repertoire consists of Spanish, Malay, Cantonese, Japanese and Hokkien songs.
“I’m not too well-versed with TikTok or Instagram.
“How I wish I could learn the way to promote Alfred’s songs on Spotify. We are willing to pay a small fee for someone to help us.
“We are also looking for someone to help sponsor the cost of producing Albert’s latest CDs,” she mentioned.
Passionate artiste
Article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that individuals with disabilities (PWD) have the correct to work on an equal foundation with others.
According to the Malaysian Statistics Department, the unemployment price in 2020 rose to 4.8% from 3.2% in 2019.
With hundreds of individuals jobless in the course of the pandemic, it’s much more difficult for individuals with disabilities to achieve employment.
Ho is set to financial institution on his expertise as a singer and guitarist to earn a living.
“I love to sing, and I’ve been a professional singer for over four decades.
“I’ve made appearances at stage shows, private functions and nightspots across the country.
“I had my first brush with fame when I became a semi-finalist in RTM1’s 1970s talent show Bakat TV,” shared Ho, who is commonly known as Malaysia’s Jose Feliciano.
Feliciano is a Puerto Rican musician with imaginative and prescient impairment greatest identified for a lot of worldwide hits, together with his rendition of the Doors’ Light My Fire and Christmas single, Feliz Navidad.
In 2017, Ho carried out at Asia’s Got Talent (S2), the place he serenaded judges with British singer Engelbert Humperdinck’s Quando Quando Quando.
Ho confirmed a love for music from an early age.
At Penang’s St Nicholas School for the Blind, he taught himself to play the guitar and shaped a four-piece schoolboy band known as The Sharks.
Over the years, the previous phone operator has endeared himself to audiences for his interpretations of evergreen numbers by legendary crooners Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and Tom Jones.
His vocal prowess ranges from soothing ballads to rock and roll, and his repertoire consists of Spanish, Malay, Cantonese, Japanese and Hokkien songs.
Ho has additionally self-produced six albums consisting of his favorite evergreens.
Baptist strongly believes in her husband’s skills and is prepared to help him all the way in which.
“To me, Alfred’s spirits has not dampened despite the pandemic. Instead, he is soldiering on with his musical talents.
“I think he has achieved a remarkable feat and I hope his talents will be recognised,” she emphasised.
For extra particulars, e mail Ho at [email protected] or name 012-346 1232/03-7972 9555.
