Singapore’s prime minister discusses securing exclusive deal for Taylor Swift concerts

Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has defended an exclusive deal his city-state struck with Taylor Swift that prevents the pop star taking her current The Eras Tour anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

Swift is performing six concerts from 2 March to 9 March in Singapore under an exclusive deal that has been criticised by some Southeast Asian neighbours who complain they have been deprived of the tourist boom that her concerts have brought elsewhere.

Lee confirmed that the singer was provided with “certain incentives” from a government fund established to rebuild the tourism industry after Covid disruptions, and said he did not feel the deal was “unfriendly”.