Romain Rouillard with AFP / Photo credit: DAVID GRAY / AFP
The battle has raged in Southeast Asia for Taylor Swift. But it seems that Singapore has won the duel between itself and its neighbors hands down. The city-state will indeed host all of the American star’s six concerts planned in the region. The singer, who has been performing since March 2 at the Singapore National Stadium as part of her “The Eras” tour, will not be going to Thailand or the Philippines. Two countries rather unhappy to find themselves left behind.
It all started with a comment made by Srettha Thavisin. The Thai Prime Minister claimed to have been informed of an agreement relating to subsidies granted to Taylor Swift by the city-state so that the star would only perform in Singapore. An exclusivity agreement built around a sum ranging from 2 to 3 million dollars per concert, according to the manager.
Significant economic damage for Bangkok and Manila
Joey Salceda, Filipino politician, also spoke out to denounce this agreement and called on his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest. Considering the singer’s popularity, the absence of a concert represents a significant loss of income for Bangkok and Manila.
For its part, Singapore admitted last month to having granted this famous subsidy to Taylor Swift. In a joint statement, the Ministry of Culture and the city-state’s Tourist Office indicated that the authorities had worked directly with the organizers of the tour to finalize the arrangements for this event. A veteran of the entertainment industry who did not wish to be named told AFP that it “wasn’t unusual to ask” for exclusive contracts, but that it “wasn’t so usual for artists to accede to this request.
Singapore minimizes the amount
Singapore, however, insisted this Monday on minimizing the sums advanced. “There has been speculation about the amount of the subsidy. I can say that (the amount) of the subsidy is not accurate and it is not as high as was thought. For Due to commercial confidentiality reasons, we cannot reveal the precise amount of the grant or its conditions,” said Culture Minister Edwin Tong.
Definitely quite tumultuous, Taylor Swift’s tour has already been punctuated by an incident that occurred last week in Australia. Photographer Ben McDonald accuses the star’s father of assaulting him in Sydney’s north. An investigation has been opened.