Taylor Swift has landed in Southeast Asia, or at least parts of it. All six of her sold-out shows will take place in Singapore, the region’s wealthiest country.
Many of her fans in this region of over 600 million people are disappointed. But the Singapore leg of Ms. Swift’s wildly popular Elas tour, which began last weekend and ends on Saturday, is a soft power coup, meant to help the country’s economic recovery post-pandemic.
These shows, and the undisclosed cost Singapore paid to host them, have also sparked diplomatic tensions with neighboring Thailand and the Philippines.
Last month, Thai Prime Minister Sureta Thavisin publicly announced that Singapore had paid Swift up to $3 million per performance, provided she did not perform elsewhere in Southeast Asia. A Philippine lawmaker later said that was not “what a good neighbor would do.”
Singapore objected. First, the country’s culture minister said that the actual value of the exclusive contract (without giving his name) was “unprecedented.” The former ambassador later called this criticism “sour grapes.” And on Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told reporters he did not think the deal was diplomatically “unfriendly.”
But that was no consolation to disappointed fans.
Sherin Nya Tamara, a 26-year-old Swift fan who lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, said, “Sometimes I wonder, ‘When will I be able to experience something like this?” He’s been in love with Swift since 2011, but has never seen her perform live. “We were hoping that there would be additional dates and that Jakarta would also be included, but that was not the case.”
Susan Harris Rimmer says the controversy over Swift’s Singapore show is “in some ways refreshing” at a time when Southeast Asian governments are grappling with serious issues such as tensions in the South China Sea and the aftermath of a brutal war in Myanmar. he said. , a law professor who has researched regional soft power.
Professor Harris Rimmer, who teaches at Australia’s Griffith University, added: “It would be nice to see them discussing something this fun rather than something really, really difficult.” “But it shows that there is tension, jealousy and competition.”
Swift’s concert, which will be held in Singapore after Japan and Australia, would have been a huge success. But last month, when Ms Suretta said at a business forum that Singapore had paid the artist as much as $3 million per performance to ensure it was her only tour destination in Southeast Asia, they It has taken on a geopolitical tone.
Mr Sletta said he learned details of Singapore’s grants for artists from concert promoter AEG Presents. Organizers and Swift’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Susan Abramovich, head of entertainment and sports law at international law firm Gowling WLG, said concert exclusivity agreements are a type of non-compete agreement known as a “radius clause,” which is standard practice in the music industry. It is said that
“That said, this territorial exclusivity is typically measured within a few hundred miles of a city, rather than covering the entire neighborhood,” she said, adding that the scope of the Singapore Agreement is a kind of “Taylorian expansion,” he added. Industry standard.
It doesn’t have a very good reputation outside of Singapore.
Late last month, a Philippine lawmaker made headlines when he said he had asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to consult with the Singapore government on the exclusive rights clause at the expense of neighboring countries.
Rep. Joey Salceda said this week that he raised the issue in recognition of how difficult and expensive it is for Filipinos, including his own staff, to attend concerts.
“The core principles of ASEAN are solidarity and consensus,” he said in an interview, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “What’s going on? They even used tourism boards to block other countries.”
Asked on Tuesday how much the subsidy would be worth, the Singapore government did not directly answer. But the tourism board and the culture ministry said in a joint statement that Swift’s concert, which sold more than 300,000 tickets, was likely to “bring significant benefits” to the country’s economy.
Prime Minister Lee was also asked about the subsidy on Tuesday at an ASEAN meeting in Australia. He said the money would be funded by post-COVID-19 tourism recovery efforts and that he did not believe the exclusivity clause was “unfriendly” to other countries.
“If we hadn’t had that arrangement, would she have come anywhere else in South East Asia, or more places in South East Asia?” he said in Melbourne. “Maybe not.”
News of the local backlash against the subsidy was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal, The Diplomat, and other news outlets.
Professor Harris Rimmer said that apart from financial incentives, it made sense for Swifts to play in South East Asia as Singapore is safe for young female fans and has good transport links to other regions. He said that it is a place where She said Ms Swift’s seductive mystique fit well with Singapore’s efforts to elevate itself as “Asia’s glamor kitty”.
“I don’t think she needs Singapore’s money at this point,” she added.
Some Swifties have accepted the singer’s limited local itinerary. generally.
Jose Bunacita, a 30-year-old writer from Cebu City in the Philippines, who met Swift in Japan last month, said his 11-day trip to Japan cost about $1,500. “I had the best time of my life singing with all my heart,” he said.
Still, he said, “I feel like if most of the concertgoers were fellow Filipino Swifties, it would have been a much more enjoyable experience.”
Sui-Lee Wee contributed to this report.
