22-07-2025
Malay rock legend Rosli Mohalim is a busker now
He was a rockstar who performed in huge venues across Singapore and Malaysia.
But today, Rosli Mohalim, ex-lead guitarist of Singapore's most illustrious Malay rock band Sweet Charity, has a more humble stage - you can catch him busking in Changi Village, Tampines, Admiralty Village, and Jurong Park.
The Singaporean musician suffered a stroke in 2021. After a year of treatment which included acupuncture and physiotherapy, the 71-year-old found his proficiency as a guitarist had drastically diminished.
"I was slowly recovering, but I still could not play the guitar like before," he told Berita Harian.
He felt his dexterity returning in 2023, but performance offers were not forthcoming. Rosli then decided to take matters into his own hands - he started busking in Johor Bahru, where he has lived since 2002.
Last year, he auditioned successfully for a busking licence in Singapore, and now performs here three to four days a week.
He makes a two-hour trip from his home in JB, arriving in Singapore between 11am and noon, and performs for three to four hours before heading back across the Causeway. He also performs weekly at Plaza Angsana in JB.
"I'm grateful that I'm earning quite well as a street musician," he told Malaysia's New Straits Times. "I've recovered about 90 per cent, but the stroke did affect my performance slightly. Nevertheless, many people still come to listen to my music."
A rock legend
Sweet Charity ruled the Malay rock scene in Singapore and Malaysia from the 1970s to the 1980s, and hits such as Teratai (1979) and Kamelia (1980) enjoy regular airplay on Malay radio.
As recently as 2023, Rosli performed with the band in a reunion tour which included shows at the 3,000-seat Stadium Arena Larkin in JB and the 5,000-capacity Star Theatre in Singapore, along with stops in Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak.
Busking seems like a much smaller gig compared to those, but Rosli is unfazed. For him, it beats doing nothing.
"At this age, it's not good to just sit still. I have to stay active. I occasionally bump into my old bandmate Datuk Ramli Sarip, and he approves of what I'm doing," he added.
