Singapore Government Prevented Taylor Swift From Performing Elsewhere In Southeast Asia, Thai PM Claims
Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" is coming to only one country in Southeast Asia due to an alleged deal with Singapore preventing her from performing elsewhere in the region, Thailand's prime minister has claimed.
During a business forum in Bangkok, Thailand, Srettha Thavisin asserted that the Singaporean government negotiated a deal with the pop superstar to perform in Singapore exclusively for her "Eras Tour" in Southeast Asia, The Guardian reported.
According to Thavisin, concert promoter AEG informed him of Singapore's offer of substantial subsidies, ranging from $2 million to $3 million per show, as part of the agreement.
"[AEG] didn't tell me the exact figure, but they said the Singapore government offers subsidies of between $2 million and $3 million. But the Singaporean government is clever. They told [organizers] not to hold any other shows in [Southeast] Asia," Thavisin was quoted as saying by the publication.
Swift is scheduled to perform six sold-out shows at the 55,000-seat National Stadium in Singapore from March 2 to 9. It marks her only stop in Asia apart from Japan.
AEG and Swift have not publicly addressed the prime minister's claims.
While the claims of an exclusivity deal have not been confirmed, Singapore's tourism authorities said in a statement to The Straits Times that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) "supported" Swift's record-breaking tour "through a grant."
However, specific details about the grant's size and conditions were not disclosed.
In the joint statement, the STB and Singapore's Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) highlighted the economic benefits Swift's concerts would bring to the country, particularly the hospitality, retail, travel, and dining sectors.
The statement revealed that more than 300,000 tickets for the Singapore shows have been sold, with numerous fans traveling from other countries.
James Walton, sports business group leader at Deloitte Asia Pacific, noted that exclusive arrangements are not uncommon for cities and venues, but exclusive country-level deals are rare, according to Straits Times.
Artists typically aim to reach as many fans as possible across various locations, according to Walton.
Swift has a massive fanbase in Southeast Asia. In fact, the Philippines' Quezon City once landed on the list of the top cities in the world listening to the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker on Spotify.
Swift kicked off the first leg of her Asia-Pacific "Eras Tour" in Tokyo with four nights of sold-out shows at the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome beginning Feb. 7.
She briefly returned to the U.S. to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, at the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas before jetting off to Australia for her next "Eras Tour" stops.
She will next perform four shows in Sydney from Friday to Monday.
According to the Associated Press, Pollstar reported in December 2023 that Swift's "Eras Tour" became the first tour to cross the billion-dollar mark after raking in $1.04 billion from 4.35 million tickets sold across 60 tour dates.
The "Eras Tour" has also made Swift a billionaire, with the Washington Post reporting that the singer takes home as much as 85% of the money grossed from her shows.
