Singapore PM Lee hails ‘very successful’ Taylor Swift exclusivity deal: ‘I don’t see that as being unfriendly’

Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday defended the exclusive deal his city state struck with Taylor Swift to make Singapore her sole Southeast Asian stop

The Eras Tour deal, which is expected to bring a multimillion-dollar windfall, had turned out to be a ‘very successful arrangement’, Lee said

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Taylor Swift performs in Tokyo last month. Her six Singapore shows are predicted to bring a multimillion-dollar windfall to the city state. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:16pm, 5 Mar 2024Updated: 3:03pm, 5 Mar 2024

Singapore was not “being unfriendly” when it paid American pop star Taylor Swift to make the city state the sole Southeast Asian stop on her world tour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday following complaints from neighbouring countries about the exclusivity deal.

“Our agencies negotiated an arrangement with her to come to Singapore and perform and to make Singapore her only stop in Southeast Asia,” he said at a press conference in Australia. “I don’t see that as being unfriendly.”

In Melbourne to attend this week’s Asean-Australia summit, Lee reportedly added that the deal had turned out to be a “very successful arrangement”.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) speaks at a press conference in Melbourne on Tuesday alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Photo: AFP

Swift’s The Eras Tour has the potential to generate some US$4.6 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone, according to a report by market research company QuestionPro published in June.

Though Singapore’s government previously confirmed that it had paid Swift to bring her tour to the country, it stopped short of confirming whether the grant was given as part of an exclusivity clause.

In parliament on Monday, Edwin Tong, minister of culture, community and youth, said the government was considering “appropriate measures” after details of the concert deal leaked.

According to national broadcaster CNA, Singapore paid between US$2 million to US$3 million for Swift’s six dates in the city state.