(Singapore) Singapore revealed on Tuesday that it had granted a subsidy to American singer Taylor Swift, global pop star, to perform in the city-state, the only stop in Southeast Asia on her tour The Eras.
In a joint statement, the Ministry of Culture and the Singapore Tourism Board said the authorities had worked directly with the tour organizers to finalize the arrangements for the event.
Last week, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin claimed that the city-state had reached an exclusivity agreement with Taylor Swift so that she would only perform in Singapore in the Southeast Asian region.
The Singapore authorities refused to reveal the amount of the subsidy, and did not indicate whether an exclusivity agreement had been concluded, hiding behind the confidentiality of business contracts.
They stressed that the star’s concerts are expected to “generate significant benefits for the Singapore economy”.
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.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore attracted many international artists, including South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink, British singers and musicians Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran, and British pop rock group Coldplay.
Taylor Swift is scheduled to perform six sold-out concerts at the Singapore National Stadium in early March, where more than 300,000 spectators are expected.
After Singapore, the singer will continue her tour in Europe. The profits from this tour are estimated at the astronomical sum of 2 billion dollars.