Eeshna Dashottar, Pune
The Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, has officially supported the country’s deal with Taylor Swift regarding her concerts. The deal between the country and the global icon restricts her concerts to Singapore, ensuring she does not perform in any other country in Southeast Asia. Many countries from this region have come to oppose this decision by Singapore which stops the popstar from holding concerts in their countries.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has defended this incentive by his government and stated that this step is not going against its neighbouring nations. He confirmed the deal in his speech at a regional summit in Melbourne, where he also clarified how this deal is not seen as ‘unfriendly’ by him. Swift was formerly given a grant by the Singaporean government to perform in their country, further details and terms of which were not fully disclosed. On Tuesday, PM Lee Hsien Loong confirmed the provision of incentives to the artist. These incentives, according to the PM, were given from a government fund that aimed at boosting tourism in the post-pandemic era. The cost of the deal remains undisclosed.
PM Lee has also called this deal a successful arrangement. Taylor Swift’s Eras tour is a sensation around the globe, bringing massive economic boosts to the destinations where it has been organised. In Singapore, the musical sensation has managed to confirm all her six concerts as sold-out, with more than 3,00,000 tickets being sold for the same. With many international fans flying to the country for the concert, it is expected that these shows will contribute amounts between $260 million and $372 million to Singapore’s economy (as mentioned by CNBC).
This deal by the government of Singapore has turned into a topic of concern as the neighbouring countries have started to speak against this deal that closes the gates for Swift to their nations. Member of the Philippine House of Representatives Joey Salceda voiced his opinions about the deal, calling it an action that good neighbours would not do. He also highlighted how such agreements stand in contrast to the ASEAN principles. Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin also opposed this action by the Singaporean government, stating that he would have also tried to make similar arrangements if he had known about this deal.
So far, Japan (Tokyo) has been the only other stop in Asia along with Singapore for Swift’s Eras Tour. The pop icon had also performed for her previous tours at other destinations in Asia like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia.