[Acoustic guitar music]

[Street sounds]

Heidi: My day, day-to-day,

is, it's pretty simple.

I um, I get up, I eat.

And then I usually do

something physical.

[Heidi singing: There

are things I dont want

to see, there are days I

dont want to be alone

with myself& ]

Heidi: And then, uh, get

my gear.

And head under.

Head underground.

[Heidi singing: There

are days the deck feels

stacked, things I believed

in are cracked, then night

begins.

Though it feels a losing

hand, I dont fold my

cards, I take a stand...

Strength has a way of, of

finding truth within.

But I feel it.

I feel it all.

Yes, I feel it.

I feel it all....]

Heidi: Busking is

performing in public for

some sort of tips or

donations&

[Subway sounds; tuning her

guitar]

Heidi: You know, the

hustle, just making it

work one way or another.

Heidi: I could never get

an office job.

I mean I could get one,

but I wouldn't last till

lunch so, that's just not

who I am.

SOT (Heidi on the subway

platform): Usually when I

start, I start with an

easy cover&

[Heidi strumming her

guitar]

Heidi: I had just moved to

New York.

I didn't know anyone and I

was forced underground

almost to survive.

Because I thought that was

one thing I can do and

maybe I will make some

money.

[SOT Heidi strumming

guitar and singing: I

heard What are you

waitinfor?

You got to...

Dance, movinto the

music.

Nothins gonna get you

down.

Dance nothins gonna

stop&

Heidi: For the first two

years, its quite a

learning curve down there.

And you're dealing with

everything from homeless

people to cops to crazy

people.

Ive had homeless people

come up and stick their

finger in my ear while I'm

singing.

[Subway sounds]

Heidi: No one gets fought

for a spot.

There are these unspoken

rules that we all just you

just absorb in the first

couple of years about not

setting up on people.

[SOT Heidi talking to

Danny on the platform]

Heidi: How are you?

Heidi: Its hot down here

today.

Danny: Huh?

Heidi: Its warm down

here today.

[SOT Heidi strumming

guitar and singing:

Dance, everyone around me

What are you gonna choose?

When everything expected

is in the wrong direction,

got nothing left to lose&

.

So..]

[Natural SOT: People

applaud and cheer]

Heidi: When it's pure it

reaches people.

And then theyre moved

and then they either

donate, but it's not

always donate, sometimes

its like this, sometimes

its just a nod.

[Acoustic guitar music]

Heidi: I'm super

resourceful.

I tend to make a lot of

things myself.

For a while I was growing

a lot of my vegetables.

I do a lot of things to,

to make it work.

I signed up for focus

groups, I do those

sometimes and I do

voice-overs here and

there.

Heidi: It is tough to go

back under after a slow

day.

I mean you always sort of

take it personally you

just have to get back on

the horse.

[Subway sounds and

acoustic guitar]

Heidi: How its changed.

It's changed.

When I went under first,

there were cell phones but

not everyone had them.

Now.

Wow.

Its crazy.

Everyone has headphones

in.

Everyone has the world in

front of them.

Heidi: You make less now

than you did.

Everyone is just in their

own little world down

there until you can bust

through it takes a lot to

bust through it.

[Subway sounds]

Heidi: The magic that

happens down there -- it

s humanity.

Heidi: I remember I was on

a train once and

performing and a man in a

business suit, I went to

pass the hat and he said,

you know, Good luck!

I hope, you know, you make

it out of here.

And I was like, I'm

not trying to go

anywhere,and he said, he

looked at me with an odd

look and I said, there's

a lot of freedom down

here,and he just stopped

and he looked at his feet

and he said, Oh my god.

Freedom,he said.

I could use some of

that.

[SOT: Heidi and Danny

singing and playing

guitar: Crazy love

Danny singing: She gives

me love, oh, oh, yeah.

Such a crazy love, yeah.

Heidi and Danny:

Crazy love.

]

[SOT: Crowd cheers and

applauds]

[Subway sounds]