TikTok busker goes viral shutting down man accusing her of lip-syncing

A busker went viral on TikTok after shutting down a man who harassed her and accused her of lip-syncing.

Content creator and busker Taylor Iman (misstayloriman) took to TikTok to share the moment a random man harassed her on the street, refusing to believe she was really singing.

In the video, Taylor is seen singing on a New York City street with a speaker and microphone set up as she performs Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You.’ As she belted out the hook, someone in an oversized brown coat approached the busker and began speaking to her.

He looked unimpressed and started accusing her of lip-syncing. In response, Taylor turned off the music and performed it a cappella to prove she was really singing live.

“Do it a cappella,” the man told her, and she allowed him to speak into the microphone while she sang back into it. But he still wasn’t convinced, prompting the frustrated busker to tell him to back off.

She started singing into the microphone again while the random man continued to interrupt. The TikToker then decided to ignore him completely, and he eventually stomped off.

“How would you have handled this situation??” Taylor asked in the caption of her video, which has gone viral with over 295,000 views.

Many TikTok users in the comments praised the busker for the way she conducted herself. “People hate seeing others shine. Amazing voice and professionalism,” one person wrote.

“You handled it well- his pointing his finger in your face and touching the mic or you- not cool. Beautiful singer!” another said. “Well done. On both the singing and the social interaction,” a third shared.

This is not the first time a TikTok busker has been harassed on the street. Earlier in 2024, a harpist went viral for her calm reaction to a passerby threatening to report her.