CELEBRITY
On The Radar: Taylor Swift Stirs Bad Blood Among SEA Nations?
This weekend marked the kickstart of Swift’s Eras Tour concert in SEA. The multi-Grammy Award-winning pop star had six sold-out concerts for ASEAN Swifties, but it’s all happening only in Singapore.
When Swift’s team unveiled her Eras world tour dates last year, fans across Asia were surprised by her decision to snub other SEA countries. This was particularly unexpected given that during her 2014 Red world tour, Swift had performed successful concerts in Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur, in addition to Singapore.
So, what happened this time?
Thailand Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, revealed that the situation became political. He accused the Singaporean government of providing Taylor Swift a hefty grant worth US$3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity, ensuring that Swift would not perform in other SEA nations.