British singer-songwriter Myles Smith may be performing to sold-out crowds across Australia, but his impromptu plans to busk in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall were met with unexpected red tape.
The breakout artist behind the ARIA chart-climber “Stargazing”, who has sold out shows across the US, UK, and Europe, had hoped to play a free pop-up street set in Sydney’s Pitt Street. He was unable to make the gig happen at that location due to the City of Sydney’s requirements, which reportedly needed Smith to obtain a busking license, provide identification, and line up with other performers from 7am to secure a slot.
Smith took to Instagram to address the situation on his stories, where he has over 1.4 million followers.
“Kinda crazy how hard it can be sometimes to just play a couple of songs on the street,” he wrote. “Like I get it … there needs to be some sort of system so it’s fair for everyone whether you’ve got no followers or a million. That’s important.”
Still, Smith didn’t shy away from calling the situation what it was: “Mad how something so simple can feel so complicated to actually make happen.”
Instead, Smith ended up performing on the Sydney Opera House forecourt. Nothing short of wholesome, footage posted online shows fans singing along with their phone lights glowing as the singer strummed his guitar in an open circle.
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Picking up a guitar as a child, Smith is no stranger to making music, however, it wasn’t until 2022 that his posts on TikTok garnered attention and propelled his music career.
Currently on tour in support of his breakthrough single “Stargazing,” Smith is continuing to win over Australian fans. The track saw a significant jump on this week’s ARIA Singles Chart, rising from #49 to #29.
His tour We Were Never Strangers continues in Brisbane on May 12th and 13th, before heading to Auckland and then Europe.
