Connect with us

CELEBRITY

Philippine Lawmaker Demands Answers From Singapore Over Reported Taylor Swift Deal

Published

on

Philippine Lawmaker Demands Answers From Singapore Over Reported Taylor Swift Deal

 

A Philippine lawmaker has called on the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to seek answers from the Singaporean government about an alleged exclusivity agreement with the promoter of pop star Taylor Swift.

 

Philippine Lawmaker Demands Answers From Singapore Over Reported Taylor Swift Deal

Swift arrived in Singapore on Tuesday and is slated to play six sold-out shows at the 55,000-seat National Stadium in Singapore from March 2-9. But this will be the only stop that her Eras tour makes in Southeast Asia, forcing fans to fly to Singapore from across the region in order to get a glimpse of the 34-year-old musician.

In a statement yesterday, Joey Salceda, a representative from Albay in southern Luzon who chairs the Philippine House committee on ways and means, said that the DFA should demand clarification on rumors that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) offered grants to AEG Present, Swift’s promoter, with a provision that AEG not stage concerts in other Southeast Asian countries.

Such a practice, Salceda said, is not “what good neighbors do,” and questioned whether it was within the spirit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). “I don’t think we should just let things like this pass,” he added. “We should still officially register our opposition. It also runs contrary to the principle of consensus-based relations and solidarity on which the ASEAN was founded.”

Swift’s Southeast Asian fans were disappointed when it was announced last year that she would only play in Singapore. This was felt particularly strongly in Thailand, perhaps the most likely alternative destination, where Swift canceled a concert in June 2014, the month after the military seized power in a coup. (She did not offer an official reason for the cancellation.)

Indeed, the rumor of an exclusivity arrangement between the STB and AEG originated with Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who said earlier this month that Singapore had sought a deal with Taylor Swift to prevent her from playing elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Speaking at a business forum in Bangkok on February 16, Srettha claimed that AEG had informed him that the Singaporean government offered $2 million-$3 million per show on the condition that Singapore remains the only regional stop on Swift’s tour.

AEG “didn’t tell me the exact figure but they said the Singapore government offers subsidies of between $2m and $3m,” Srettha said, The Guardian reported. “But the Singaporean government is clever. They told [organizers] not to hold any other shows in [Southeast] Asia.“If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand,” he added. “Concerts can generate added value for the economy.”

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NFL5 hours ago

Taylor Swift and NFL Star Travis Kelce Turn Heads with Heart-Melting PDA on the Beach full of Love and Laughter —Fans Say It’s Their ‘Cutest Moment Yet

NFL5 hours ago

Taylor Swift’s Dad Scott Recovering Well Post-Heart Surgery, Spotted with Taylor and Travis Kelce

NFL5 hours ago

Taylor Swift’s and Fiancé Travis Kelce Captivates Audiences with Their Charisma at the 87 & Running Foundation Charity Fundraiser for Kids with Cancer

NFL8 hours ago

Taylor Swift Donates $15 Million to World Health Organization to Support Emergency Relief Efforts for Hurricane Melissa Victims in Jamaica, Providing Food, Clean Water, and Hygiene Supplies to Thousands in Need

TENNIS9 hours ago

Serena Williams Stuns the World with Her Breathtaking Magenta Elegance in a Beaded Gown, Sparking a Wave of Enthusiastic Reactions from Fans Across Social Media

NFL11 hours ago

Supreme Court Issues Emergency Injunction Halting Donald Trump’s White House East Wing Demolition For His Lavish Ballroom After National Trust for Historic Preservation Files $10B Lawsuit Alleging Violations of Federal Environmental and Heritage Protection Laws

NFL13 hours ago

Taylor Swift Delivers Scathing Condemnation of Donald Trump, Saying He’s Using Hunger as a Political Weapon by Targeting SNAP and the Nation’s Most Vulnerable Families

NFL1 day ago

Jason and Travis kelce’s mom Donna Kelce Rushed to Emergency Medical Care After Collapsing from Heart-Related Complications; Paramedics Seen Administering CPR and Assisted Breathing on Scene

NFL1 day ago

Kansas City Chiefs Confirm Head Coach Andy Reid Will Be Absent from the Sideline Against the Commanders as He Battles Serious Health Challenges

NFL1 day ago

Taylor Swift Calls for Constitutional Action, Declaring That Only Article II, Section 4 — the Impeachment Clause — Can Save the United States from Donald Trump’s Expanding Threat to Democracy

NFL1 day ago

Donald Trump Officially Confirms Plans to Run for a Third Presidential Term, Defying the U.S. Constitution’s Two-Term Limit and Promising to “Restore America’s Greatness Once More

NFL1 day ago

Taylor Swift Commends Massive Anti-Trump Protests Sweeping Through South Korea as Citizens Rally Against the U.S. President’s Upcoming East Asia Visit

Copyright © 2024 USAmidia