Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is headed to Singapore this weekend, but an exclusive deal with the country's government prevents her from performing in other parts of Southeast Asia.
Swift is set to play six straight sold-out shows at the 55,000-seat National Stadium beginning tomorrow night (March 2). Lawmakers in countries such as the Philippines and Thailand feel the exclusive deal with Singapore is unfair.
The Straits Times reports that Representative Joey Salceda has asked the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs to formally launch a protest against the grant that the Singapore Government authorized in exchange for Swift to skip the rest of Southeast Asia on her world tour.
“[This] isn’t what good neighbours do. Our countries are good friends. That’s why actions like that hurt,” Salceda said in a statement.
Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin previously spoke out against the agreement, saying promoter AEG informed the other nations that the Singapore government offered $2m to $3 million (USD) per show to keep it exclusive to the island.
"The Singapore government is astute," Mr Srettha said in a keynote speech at the iBusiness Forum 2024 in Bangkok. "If she came to Thailand, it would have been cheaper to organise it here, and I believe she would be able to attract more sponsors and tourists to Thailand. Even though we would have to subsidise at least 500m baht, it would be worth it."
"If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand," he added. "Concerts can generate added value for the economy."
Swift has not performed in the Philippines since 2014, and has yet to perform in Thailand. A sold-out show at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani was scheduled in 2014, but was cancelled.