Singapore’s exclusive deal with Taylor Swift ignites online debate

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong came under fire on social media following revelations that Singapore entered into an exclusive agreement with Taylor Swift, limiting her performances to Singapore alone during the Southeast Asian leg of her Eras Tour, excluding other nations in the region.

The exclusive arrangement was disclosed by PM Lee during a press conference in Melbourne, where he acknowledged that Singaporean agencies had secured a deal for Taylor Swift to perform solely in Singapore as her only stop in Southeast Asia. This confirmation comes amidst previous rumors about the secretive deal to host the singer.

On March 4, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Edwin Tong, sidestepped questions regarding this arrangement during a parliamentary session, and while he confirmed the financial grant to Swift was significant, he cited confidentiality reasons for not disclosing the exact figures.

The deal initially came to light after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin suggested on February 16 that Singapore had offered Swift’s team a substantial sum, rumored to be between $2 million and $3 million per show, to ensure her exclusive performance in Singapore, thus excluding other cities in the region.

This development has drawn international attention and criticism, especially from Taylor Swift’s fans and neighboring countries, who viewed the deal as an attempt to monopolize access to one of the most successful music tours. The last time Swift toured Asia was in 2018 for her Reputation Stadium Tour, with performances only in Tokyo, Japan.