Government's grant for Taylor Swift's deal 'nowhere as high' as speculated, says Edwin Tong

The government subsidies that Singapore paid to be the only Southeast Asian stop for Taylor Swift's tour is "nowhere as high" as reports have suggested.

On Feb 16, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said concert promoter AEG had informed him that the Singapore government offered subsidies of up to US$3 million (S$4 million) per show.

Speaking to CNA on Friday (March 1), Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, when asked about the actual size of the grant, said: "The numbers that you see online, it is nowhere as high as what is being speculated."

He added that he will speak more about this in Parliament next Monday.

While Tong did not reveal the exact figure, CNA reported that the figure is closer to US$2 million to US$3 million in total for all six shows.

On whether Singapore could have "secured" Swift without a grant, Tong said: "Who knows? Maybe she might not have come here. Maybe she might have played less nights.

"There's a lot of possibilities, but we each show on its own merits. We weigh the pros and cons and assess them carefully in the context of the broader factors. And then we decide how to approach each case differently."

Met up with promoters and agents in LA

Minister Tong had earlier told AsiaOne that discussions to bring Taylor Swift's Eras Tour to Singapore began as early as last year.

In February 2023, he met with her promoters and agents in Los Angeles, accompanied by a team comprising representatives from MCCY, Sport Singapore and Kallang Alive.

"We also asked if she could make Singapore the last stop of a particular leg of her concert tour so that we could extend the dates," Tong shared.

"As it turned out, the concert was very popular. After three nights, we doubled it up to six nights." His team's efforts paid off - over 300,000 tickets were snapped up, with a significant number of Swifties travelling to Singapore to attend the shows.

But the purported "exclusivity" of the deal sparked unhappiness among some politicians in neighbouring countries.

Joey Salceda, a lawmaker in the Philippines, reportedly said "this isn't what good neighbours do" and called on his foreign ministry to send a "note verbale" to the Singapore embassy to formally protest the exclusive deal made with Swift.

Tong told CNA that it was not just about a grant or a deal that brought Taylor Swift to Singapore for six nights.

He added that the promoters are experienced and know exactly what they want out of a venue, and there are factors that Singapore cannot control.

"With every promoter, they make their own calculations," Tong said. "They decide whether they want to come, how many nights they want to come, where else they want to go."

In an earlier statement on Feb 20, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said: "Singapore has much to offer as a destination for large-scale international events, with our strategic location, quality infrastructure, safety, efficiency and diverse cultural offerings.

"KASM will continue to actively bring a range of diverse lifestyle and entertainment offerings to the Sports Hub."

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chingshijie@asiaone.com