Taylor Swift’s South-East Asian fans left devastated after details of her secret deal to only perform in Singapore sparks war of words among leaders in the region

Southeast Asia Swifties have grown enraged as Taylor Swift performs only one stop in the area under controversial circumstances.

The global superstar, 34, is currently in the middle of her stint at National Stadium in Singapore, which marks her only stop in South-East Asia after it was reported the country is paying the pop star $4.3million per show to perform there exclusively. ‘Singapore paid a hefty amount so that NO other South-East Asian country can have their chances,’ complained a fan on social media.
Should boycott Singapore and Taylor,’ wrote another.

‘Typical Singaporean behaviour, they would do anything to get one up on their neighbours,’ complained another.
It comes after Swift’s grant from the Singapore Tourism Board to bring her tour to the wealthy nation sparked a row between the neighboring countries. Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin last month accused Singapore of paying Swift millions per concert to secure her exclusively, something he found out after the deal was cut.

Speaking at the Bangkok iBusiness Forum 2024 Thavisin said ‘The Singaporean government is clever. They told not to hold any other shows in Asia,’. The Thai PM called Singapore’s move ‘astute,’ adding that he’d long wondered why Swift had not opted to play in Thailand.
If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand,’ he added.

Filipino statesman Joey Salceda also hit out at Singapore over the secret deal: ‘Our countries are good friends. That’s why actions like that hurt,’. Singapore culture minister Edwin Tong confirmed that the singer received a government grant but revealed the sum was not as high as it has been reported.

The ministry had worked with concert promoter AEG Presents to get Swift to perform in Singapore. According to the BBC the Australian government didn’t pay for Swift to perform in Sydney or Melbourne, nor did Japan for her shows in Tokyo. The Singaporean shows will likely be a boom to the economy. Swift has sold out six nights at the 55,000-seat National Stadium this month. During her first Eras Tour Singapore performance, Swift shared a meaningful story with her fans about what Singapore means to her and her family.