Street harpist's epic reaction to entitled passerby calling her beggar has the internet applauding

Society is not always soft on independent souls. Doing something we love always attracts criticism especially when there are people who feel that they are always entitled to offer their unsolicited opinions. Recently, a London-based harpist Robyn Hearts who loves busking in the streets faced irate remarks from a passerby and how she chose to handle it spoke volumes. In the video that gained nearly 13 million views in just 4 days, Hearts can be seen minding her own business playing pleasant music when a stranger stops to call her a "beggar."

The harpist recorded herself reacting to the passerby who said that they would report her to a local council for playing music on the streets. Hearts softly replied, "Alright," and continued playing a soulful rendition of the song "Careless Whisper," in her harp. But the stranger didn't seem to be convinced. They repeatedly kept asking the harpist if she had acquired permission to play on the street to which Hearts calmly responded, "Yeah." Seeing the harpist's absolutely unfazed reactions, the passerby started being more spiteful calling her a "beggar."

"I've never seen a beggar or anybody begging and asking people to put it on their card," the passerby remarked. But all the harpist said was, "I am not begging. I'm playing music," and she didn't feel the need to explain herself or stop her music for any reason. The stranger continued to test the harpist's patience saying, "If you weren't begging, you would be playing music for free," to which Hearts said that she was "technically" playing for free and it's the people's wish to give her money. But the callous stranger continued saying that the harpist was "begging," and that she would be arrested for playing without the local council's permission. Hearts couldn't help but laugh it off at the end and thousands of users showered their support and appreciation for her. 

"You're so relaxed in your approach with this idiot. Fair play to you, it adds to the ambiance of the area. Keep doing what you do!" said @the_ganer7. "I can see your bubble of protection over your own peace. It's beautiful. Love your version of the song!" lauded @stephaniemichael52. "My blood pressure is genuinely now at 144/98 just listening to her. No idea how you are so calm. She'd eat my harp. I need some of your calm," added @zara.phoenix. 

The harpist has been quite accustomed to mean remarks like these. Earlier in 2023, she shared a similar video of a stranger saying that she was "begging." While the stranger seemed to start the conversation on an amiable note saying, "You must have money coming from everywhere," soon things took a turn. Hearts calmly nodded and said, "I make enough," to which the passerby said, "You're here every day begging."

Slightly taken aback, Hearts replied in a gentle tone, "Begging? No, I'm not a beggar. I'm a performer." But the stranger quipped that both performing music on the street and begging are the same. The harpist quickly retaliated in the calmest way possible saying that they were not the same and the stranger finally walked away. "Never a dull day," Hearts joked in the caption and it was a reflection of her positive outlook towards the challenges that came across her way.

You can follow Robyn Hearts (@robyn.hearts.harp) on TikTok for more content on harp music.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 23, 2024. It has since been updated.