Liverpool busker who quit her job to follow her singing dream now has over 1 million likes on TikTok

A Liverpool singer who gave up her job to follow her music dream has now got more than 1million likes on TikTok after sharing videos of herself busking in the city centre.

In just over a year, Bethany Webster has amassed a huge social media following and achieved her first two goals – to get regular gigs and release her debut single.

The 20-year-old has just released Worth It, which she co-wrote about her own experience, taking a leap of faith to pursue the career she’s always wanted.

“This song is about what I’ve done – quitting my job and trying to make it as an artist, knowing it’s not going to be easy or a smooth ride but it’ll be ‘worth it’,” she explains.

“Liverpool has always been a city of dreamers, and I want my music to inspire others to believe in themselves and take that chance.”

For former Liverpool College student Bethany, music has been a real passion since she was a small child, singing karaoke in her bedroom.

But it was joining the busking scene in the city that took her from relative unknown to having a social media fanbase of over 70,000.

She says: “I’ve been singing all my life and I went to LIPA every weekend doing musical theatre. I ended up going to University in Leeds to study musical theatre but I dropped out after a couple of months because I felt like I didn’t want to waste three years when I already knew it was singing that I wanted to do.

“I came home and got a part-time job and tried to get some gigs, but because they didn’t know who I was they either said ‘no’ or that they’d get back to me but then never did. 

“I was getting nowhere so in January last year I decided I needed to go busking and get my name out there rather than waiting for everyone else to give me a shot.

“I went into town with a microphone and a speaker I’d borrowed from my brother which was massive and I was walking up and down for ages really scared. I’d written my name and my Instagram on an A4 piece of paper and eventually I thought, I need to do this and just put it down outside River Island and started singing.

“The first song I did is my favourite, Lost Without You, and I was so nervous my mic was literally shaking!

“I had about 10 songs that I’d practiced in my room at home and I always thought people wouldn’t look at you, but they were walking past and smiling and singing along and it was just a really nice feeling.

“When I went home loads of people had followed me and recorded me singing so that was just a little confidence boost that kept me going.”

After giving up her job to busk every day, Bethany’s social media following soon grew and going on TikTok live in summer made all the difference.

“I did that in July and it was the gamechanger for me because people who aren’t in town or from Liverpool can watch you at the same time. Most of my followers are from Liverpool and Manchester where I busk, and I have some from all over the country, and it was them who encouraged me to put out my own song.”

Bethany, who lives in Allerton, finally got her first gig in July too and since then she’s been gigging every weekend, although she’s not ready to give up busking just yet.

“Obviously last year my goal was to get my following up and get my name out there, and now I probably gig more than I busk but I still love that side of it. You get to meet so many people which is fun and all of us who do it regularly in Liverpool talk to each other which is really nice.

“We’re all quite different, we’ve all got our own little thing, so it’s definitely more supportive than competitive.

“I love going by the McDonald’s in the middle of town because you’ve got people coming from all ways, that’s my favourite spot, but also by Primark is quite a big one. 

“In summer last year it was mad, you can sing for longer because of the light nights and I had lots of kids singing with me. One little girl was really cute, she came over with her mum and asked to sing a song. She sang Lose Control, a massive crowd came around and she made about £30!”

You can follow Bethany Webster on TikTok here.

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