Taylor Swift receives privilege from Singapore, culture minister to US offers

The globally famous singer made world media waves with special information from Singapore officials. Before the opening of the concert, the news that the country's Minister of Culture came to the US to ask the singer made netizens stir.

Edwin Tong, Singapore's Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and several senior officials traveled to the US to "lobby" and gain consensus for Taylor Swift's exclusive performance in Singapore. According to Yahoo, the crew personally flew to Los Angeles to negotiate with show organizers and artist Taylor Swift, to ensure that the show would only take place in the "lion island nation" in Southeast Asia.

After Taylor Swift's Eras Tour has passed through Toronto, Canada and California, USA, Edwin Tong wants Taylor Swift to choose Singapore as the last stop on his Asia-Pacific journey.

The trip to the US by Tong and his delegation was planned in advance to ensure an agreement was reached quickly and efficiently. "We were aware of the opportunity and negotiated quickly to close the deal neatly," Tong said.

Taylor Swift is taking her upcoming concert in Singapore by storm.

Singapore's culture minister had planned to invite Taylor Swift to perform exclusively in Southeast Asia a year ago. "We had to spend heavily because of the great demand and we succeeded," Tong added.

He said plans to invite Taylor Swift to perform exclusively have been initiated from February 2023 and there has been close collaboration with major entertainment organisations, sports and entertainment industry leaders to ensure the success of the event. He also promised to share details about the cost of hosting the Taylor Swift concert in Singapore during his meeting before Parliament.

However, Taylor Swift's move to "exclusively" own the concert in Singapore is facing criticism from neighboring countries.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin criticized the Singapore government for granting up to $3 million to prevent Taylor Swift from performing in other countries, including South Korea.

The Tourism Board and Singapore's Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth later confirmed the "subsidy" without specifying the number. On February 28, representative Joey Salceda asked the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs to formally oppose the agreement created by the Singapore government in exchange for Taylor Swift agreeing not to perform at any other venue in Southeast Asia during her prestigious world tour.

"That's not how good neighbors behave," Salceda said in a media statement. He added that Singapore's actions harmed diplomatic relations with Manila.

Salceda is an economist representing Albay province in Parliament, currently chairing an investor committee set up by the government to oversee government revenue-generating bills.

"The two countries are good friends. That's why such actions hurt us," Salceda said.

Currently, Taylor Swift's exclusive performance in Singapore is expected to bring great economic benefits to the country. The 6-day tour in the lion island nation sold 300,000 tickets, making for an eventful week in Singapore in anticipation of hotel burnouts and rising airfares due to the appeal of the audience.

Taylor Swift caused many Singapore stores to suddenly lose revenue after the concert Khánh Huyền18:10:52 15/03/2024Many businesses did not benefit when Taylor Swift brought The Eras Tour to Singapore. Revenue even decreased, although previously, according to statistics, Taylor's concert had brought huge profits to Singapore.