Taylor Swift Is Causing an International Incident in Southeast Asia

Singer Taylor Swift performs at her concert for the international “The Eras Tour” in Tokyo, Japan February 7, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon 

The Celebrity Beat…

People call Taylor Swift one of the most influential people in the world, and it’s no joke.

Check this out:

You may have heard that Taylor signed an EXCLUSIVE deal with Singapore, under which they’re the ONLY nation in Southeast Asia that she hits on her Eras Tour.  They reportedly paid her MILLIONS for that exclusivity.

Well, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is having a three-day summit this week.  And you’d think they’d have more important issues to talk about, like humanitarian crises and conflicts in the region.

But yesterday, the other nations grilled Singapore’s prime minister about the Taylor deal.  Many of them think it has deprived them of the economic boost that her shows can bring.

One country that isn’t holding a grudge is Thailand.  They called it a “good business idea,” and said they can learn from it.

Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, defended an exclusive deal between his city-state and Taylor. She performed six concerts under the deal.

Lee confirmed that Swift was provided with government incentives from a fund established to rebuild the tourism industry after COVID-19 disruptions, and he did not view the deal as unfriendly toward his neighbors. Lee suggested that if Singapore didn’t agree to the exclusive deal, a neighboring country would have.

SOURCE: Associated Press