On The Radar: Taylor Swift Stirs Bad Blood Among SEA Nations?

Singapore is having 'bad blood' with its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia (SEA), all because of Taylor Swift.

This weekend marked the kickstart of Swift's Eras Tour concert in SEA. The multi-Grammy Award-winning pop star had six sold-out concerts for ASEAN Swifties, but it’s all happening only in Singapore.

When Swift’s team unveiled her Eras world tour dates last year, fans across Asia were surprised by her decision to snub other SEA countries. This was particularly unexpected given that during her 2014 Red world tour, Swift had performed successful concerts in Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur, in addition to Singapore.

So, what happened this time?

Thailand Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, revealed that the situation became political. He accused the Singaporean government of providing Taylor Swift a hefty grant worth US$3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity, ensuring that Swift would not perform in other SEA nations.

Experts already pointed out the Taylor Swift effect on economy. In the United States alone, the Eras Tour have generated US$4.6 billion in consumer spending, and this number is expected to exceed US$5 billion.

Singapore is believed to benefit from a whopping US$500 million because of Taylor's concert.

It would have been incredible for other developing countries in SEA to have a slice of that pie, but Singapore blocked them from any possible opportunity.

Philippine lawmaker Joey Salceda did not simply shake off the matter; instead, he lambasted the Singaporean government for not being a “good neighbour.”

"Regional demand for Singaporean hotels and airlines was up 30% over the [Eras Tour] period. I estimate that the exclusivity term caused an increase in industry revenues by US$60 million,” Salceda said.

"So, the grant produced 30 times more in economic activity. But it was at the expense of neighbouring countries, which could not attract their own foreign concert goers, and whose fans had to go to Singapore,” he added.

The Filipino lawmaker is not letting things slide and has even called on the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs to issue a note verbale to the Singaporean Embassy in Manila, stating, “We should still officially register our opposition. It also runs contrary to the principle of consensus-based relations and solidarity on which ASEAN was founded.”

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour believed to generate consumer spending of over US$5 billion. Photo: Taylor Swift IG account.

Despite his frustration, he acknowledges that Singapore’s strategy was effective and believes that other ASEAN members need to enhance their trade in services approach.

While the Philippines is looking to improve its strategy, Indonesia, on the other hand, is prepared to emulate Singapore's approach. “We need 'Swiftonomics' for Indonesian tourism,” said Tourism Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, as reported by Bloomberg.

The Indonesian government has established a tourism fund worth US$64 million to support bids for events similar to Taylor Swift’s concert.

Malaysia has learned the hard lesson of not seizing an opportunity. According to Free Malaysia Today, in 2022, Kuala Lumpur had the chance to host the American pop star before Singapore.

The contract was between the Malaysia Stadium Corporation and ASM Global, an affiliate of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and Swift’s concert promoter. However, for some reason, the deal was not fully utilised after Anwar Ibrahim became prime minister following the general election.

Despite the criticism, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong defended his government's action in winning the game, claiming that it was not personal and should not be interpreted as a hostile act towards its neighbours.

“Our agencies negotiated an arrangement with her to come to Singapore and perform, and to make Singapore her only stop in Southeast Asia,” Lee said on Tuesday, March 5, in a press conference in Melbourne, where he is attending a regional summit.

He then clarified, “It has turned out to be a very successful arrangement. I don't see that as being unfriendly."

New Zealand’s Swifties could definitely relate to their SEA counterparts, as the mega pop star performed exclusively in Australia for the Oceana leg of the Eras Tour.

-Asia Media Centre