Taylor Swift signs an agreement with Singapore, no concerts in the rest of Southeast Asia: controversy explodes

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Nova News online newspaper of Agenzia Nova
Taylor Swift signs an agreement with Singapore, no concerts in the rest of Southeast Asia: controversy explodes
According to experts, the concerts could generate income similar to that produced by the seven concerts in which the singer was the protagonist in Australia, approximately 780 million dollars

March 5 2024

© Agenzia Nova – Reproduction reserved

The agreement signed by Singapore with the American pop star Taylor Swift to exclusively host all the singer’s concerts in South-East Asia is not a “disgrace” towards neighboring countries. The prime minister of the city state declared it today, Lee Hsien Loong, commenting on the controversies that arose last week with the Philippines. “Our agencies have negotiated an agreement with her to come to Singapore and perform, and to make Singapore her unique stop in Southeast Asia,” confirmed the prime minister, according to whom the agreement “has proven to be a great success”, and does not constitute a violation of the spirit of cooperation between the countries of the region.

Last week a member of parliament from the Philippines, Joey Salceda, urged his country’s Foreign Ministry to ask the Singapore government for explanations regarding a sum of money, around three million dollars, that the city-state authorities allegedly offered to the American pop star for not performing in any other concerts Southeast Asian country. This was reported by the online newspaper “South China Morning Post”, published in Hong Kong. Swift is in Singapore in recent days for a series of concerts scheduled at the National Stadium, which are expected to attract a total of over 300 thousand spectators. These are the only Eras Tour dates in Southeast Asia.

The controversy, fueled by the disappointment of “swifties” in other countries, erupted last month after Thailand’s prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, reported an exclusivity agreement between Singapore authorities and the singer. The latter reportedly accepted approximately $2,8 million on the condition that she not perform elsewhere in the region. “That’s not what good neighbors do,” Salceda attacked. “I want to acknowledge that the agreement worked, but at the expense of neighboring countries whose fans are now forced to go to Singapore. I don’t think we should let this slide like we have in the past. We should officially express our opposition. Furthermore, this is an action contrary to the principles of consensus and solidarity on which Asean was founded,” the Philippine deputy further observed, referring to the Association of South-East Asian Nations.

On February 21, the Tourism Council and the Ministry of Culture of Singapore confirmed that Swift had received a donation from the city-state, without specifying the amount and without referring to any exclusivity clause. According to experts, Taylor Swift’s concerts in Singapore could generate revenue similar to that produced by the seven concerts the singer performed in Australia, around $780 million.