Taylor Swift has reportedly agreed to an exclusive deal that bars her from performing in any other countries in Southeast Asia, according to Thailand’s prime minister, Srettha Thavisin. AEG, the concert promoter, allegedly informed the politician of the agreement that states Swift will not perform any other dates on her ‘Eras’ tour in the Association of South East Asian Nations. The tour will instead only comprise six shows at Singapore’s National Stadium from March 2-9. Thavisin claimed that the Singaporean government offered between $2m and $3m per show in exchange for exclusivity.
Thavisin believes that if Swift had been allowed to perform in Thailand, the country would have attracted more sponsors and tourists. He also argued that concerts can generate additional value for the economy and said that even though Thailand would have had to subsidise at least 500m baht, it would have been worth it. Swift was due to perform her first-ever show in Thailand back in 2014, which was cancelled amid political unrest.
Originally scheduled to perform three shows in Singapore in 2024, AEG announced that three new dates had been added due to an “overwhelming response”. Swift recently performed four ‘Eras’ shows in Tokyo, before swiftly returning to the US to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce win the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs the following day. Her presence at the match helped make it the most-watched TV broadcast in the US since the 1969 moon landing.
The world tour marks Swift’s return to live music after the release of her seventh album, ‘Midnights’, which received mixed reviews. The album was seen as a notable departure from her previous works, featuring more experimental and progressive sounds. Swift said she wanted to capture the feeling of a “nocturnal world”, and some critics praised her for branching out, while others felt she had lost her way
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