Taylor Swift sparks war of words between Asian countries, ”Singapore deal a hurtful betrayal”.

Taylor Swift is the most popular woman in the world, so it should come as no surprise that neighboring countries are preparing to duke it out due to one small nation’s exclusivity hold on her Eras Tour appearance.

Politicians in the Philippines and Thailand are speaking out over a deal cut by Singapore that limits Swift’s Eras Tour run in Southeast Asia to just the wealthy city-state. The 34-year-old songstress, who is currently in the middle of her sold-out six-show run in Singapore, was awarded a grant to perform in the country. But it will be her only stop in Southeast Asia.

A deal was reportedly brokered by Singaporean authorities that barred Taylor from performing in other territories in the region, on the assumption that Swifties would be forced to flock to Singapore. The Prime Minister of Thailand, one of the countries slighted by Swift’s one-stop island hop, told the iBusiness Forum 2024, which took place recently in Bangkok, that the Singaporean government offered Swift up to $3million per show in exchange for Eras Tour exclusivity.

Filipino politician Joey Salceda is also speaking out about the perceived economic slight. He has called upon his country’s department of foreign affairs to protest the grant awarded to Swift. He told local outlets that the neighboring governments are meant to be allies, working in tandem to strengthen the region and that the deal Singapore brokered is a hurtful betrayal.

Thai PM Srettha Thavisin called Singapore’s move ‘astute,’ adding that he’d long wondered why Swift had not opted to play in Thailand. ‘If she came to Thailand, it would have been cheaper to organize it here, and I believe she would be able to attract more sponsors and tourists to Thailand,’ he said.

‘Even though we would have to subsidize at least 500m baht ($14million USD), it would be worth it. ‘If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand. Concerts can generate added value for the economy.’ The Singaporean shows will likely be a boon to the economy. Swift has sold out six nights at the 55,000-seat National Stadium this month.

Singapore’s tourism board and culture ministry did not disclose the amount of the grant, but referred to the economic benefits brought by Swift’s concerts around the world. They said the ministry had worked with concert promoter AEG Presents to get Swift to perform in Singapore.