Taylor Swift row points to healthy ASEAN competition

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has disclosed that a private agreement was secured to have Taylor Swift perform exclusively in the city-state during her The Eras Tour, preventing her from staging performances in other Southeast Asian nations.

(Our) agencies negotiated an arrangement with her to come to Singapore and perform and to make Singapore her only stop in Southeast Asia,” he said at a press conference at a regional summit in Melbourne, according to news reports.

The grant to Swift’s promoters has evolved into a diplomatic challenge for Singapore, drawing disapproval from neighboring nations for orchestrating a deal that excluded them from the most lucrative concert tour in history.

Swift will play six nights at Singapore’s National Stadium and nowhere else in Southeast Asia. The concerts promise to be a major tourist draw and revenue earner for the city-state, with “Swifties” arriving from across the region to catch her live act at the 55,000-seat venue.

According to reports from local media, Joey Salceda, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, remarked that such actions are not in line with the conduct “expected of good neighbors.” He further asserted that these agreements contradict the principles upheld by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

This row underscores how competition between ASEAN economies is hotting up. While the Swift row will continue to infuriate some, the growing intraregional competition will appeal to global investors.