Taylor Swift struck a deal with Singapore not to perform in any other Southeast Asian country

 Taylor Swift captivated attention at an Asian summit on Tuesday as Singapore’s leader found himself compelled to justify his nation's exclusive concert agreement with the pop star, potentially stirring tensions in the region by barring her performances in neighboring countries.

Singapore, a pivotal member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), had anticipated the focus of the three-day summit to be on Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis and the conflicts in the South China Sea.

However, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong faced inquiries on the sidelines of the summit regarding the lucrative and exclusive deal his country had secured with Swift, preventing her from extending her Eras Tour to any other Southeast Asian location.

Swift is slated to perform six concerts from March 2 to 9 in Singapore, leaving some of its Southeast Asian neighbors discontented, arguing that the deal deprives them of the economic benefits Swift’s concerts typically bring. The Eras Tour has broken numerous records, reportedly surpassing $1 billion in revenue last year. Moreover, her tour's cinematic adaptation swiftly claimed the top spot at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing concert film to date.

On Tuesday, the Singaporean leader acknowledged that Swift had been offered "certain incentives" in return for choosing Singapore as her sole destination in Southeast Asia for the Eras Tour. Lee defended the agreement during a joint press briefing with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a professed Swift fan whose Spotify Wrapped list revealed Taylor Swift as his second most-streamed artist of 2023. Albanese is hosting the summit in Melbourne, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Australia's status as ASEAN's inaugural external partner.