Taylor Swift — the global pop star phenomenon — brings-in millions of dollars wherever she performs. As she geared-up to begin her run of six sold-out shows in Singapore this past weekend, a Philippine lawmaker spoke out over an alleged exclusive deal between promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group and Singapore to bring the “Bad Blood” singer to the country.
Swift kicked-off her Singapore shows on March 2 and is set to perform next on March 7, 8, and 9. During her visit, analysists indicated that visitors are expected to spend at least 500 million Singapore dollars (approximately 500 billion won), and 70% of those attendees will likely come from neighboring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.
The popstar’s economical impact, dubbed “Swiftnomics,” is valued in each city that she performs. However, other countries are now speaking out after an exclusive deal kept Swift from appearing elsewhere across Asia. According to the New York Post, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said concert promoter AEG told him that the Singapore government offered Swift’s camp up to $3 million for each concert in the country — as long as she agreed not to tour in other Southeast Asian countries.
Philippines Representative Joey Salceda reportedly asked his country’s Department of Foreign Affairs to formally protest Swift’s arrangements with Singapore, telling the Straights Times “this isn’t what good neighbors do.” He noted that while Swift’s concerts will help boost Singapore’s economy, the deal is “at the expense of neighboring countries, which could not attract their own foreign concertgoers and whose fans had to go to Singapore.”
Salceda went on to say that this Singapore deal not only goes against the Association of Southeast Nations, but “our countries are good friends,” noting “that’s why actions like this hurt.”
Already, Swift’s “Era’s Tour” has broken records, becoming the first tour to cross the $1 billion mark in 2023, bringing-in a staggering $1.04 billion with over 4 million tickets sold across 60 dates. The tour continues through 2024 with a stretch of dates across Europe and the U.K. throughout the spring and summer months, followed by a return to North America this fall.
