Even before pop icon Taylor Swift announced her international tour dates, Singapore had already begun negotiations to bring her here.
A team — which included Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong — flew to Los Angeles, where they met up with Swift's agents and promoters.
"We saw an opportunity, we negotiated quickly with them, and we closed the deal quite quickly," Tong explained in a Feb. 28 interview with Mothership.
He also shed light on how Singapore ended up with six shows, tying with Toronto, Canada and Inglewood, California for the longest run in the entire Eras tour.
"We included a request that she make Singapore her last stop for our particular leg (Asia-Pacific). And the reason for that was because if the demand was strong — which it was — then we could increase the number of nights.
And in the end we did."
The effort
Tong added that Kallang Alive Sports Management (KASM), which manages Sports Hub, does not function as a venue operator only.
It has a team which goes out to proactively look for and curate content and programming:
"Kallang Alive will want to hustle to get the best deals into Singapore.
Fundamentally we’re driven by what's in the best interest of Singapore and Singaporeans. What do Singaporeans want to see here, at our very own Sports Hub? What do they enjoy? ...And we will continue to do that."
In this case, they identified an opportunity with Taylor Swift.
In Feb. 2023, a team from Singapore comprising MCCY, SportsSG and KASM, met with various leaders from the sport and entertainment industry, including Swift's promoter.
They saw an opportunity — and so they took it.
"This was even before Taylor Swift had announced any international dates," he said.
The cost
But Tong, a self-proclaimed Swiftie who turned up at the interview with friendship bracelets and an impressive knowledge of Taylor trivia, is also aware of the ongoing interest over the cost of bringing in Swift's concerts.
On Feb. 16, Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin claimed at a business forum that the Singapore government had financially supported Swift's concerts.
Thavisin alleged that the government had offered US$2 million to US$3 million (S$2.69 million to S$4.04 million) per show in exchange for exclusivity in Southeast Asia.
"If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand," he added, according to Bangkok Post.
The Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth (MCCY) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) later clarified in a Feb. 20 statement that the latter "supported the event through a grant".
In response to the cost of bringing Swift's concerts to Singapore, Tong stressed that the actual size of the grant "is not what is being speculated online".
"There are going to be some questions in Parliament on Monday (Mar. 4), and I will deal with that in some detail on Monday," he said.
The impact
But why expend so much effort in the first place?
First, there is the economic factor. Concerts bring money — DBS estimates the revenue to total S$300 to S$400 million, or 0.2 per cent of Singapore's first-quarter GDP.
And according to CNA, hotels and airlines have reported increases in demand of up to 30 per cent.
"We're very grateful for that," Tong said, "but I would say we look beyond just the economic impact...and we look at it from the perspective of building Singapore into a cultural hub that's of strong strategic value for us."
He cited Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and Bruno Mars as other major performers who have chosen to hold concerts in Singapore this year — not to mention sporting events, and even local ones like last year's National Day Parade.
Being able to offer such a diverse range of events, then, helps to "[build] Singapore's cachet as an entertainment place," he explained.
And surely these mega-concerts will not be the last — not by a long shot.
Tong added:
"I want to assure you that we are very proactive in our desire to bring these events to Singapore.
And we will do our best to look out for what Singaporeans enjoy, and how we can best bring them into Singapore.
So that they can come to Sports Hub and take part in the events, and enjoy the occasion with friends and family."
For Singaporeans
Even more importantly, bringing performers like Swift to Singapore is so that Singaporeans can enjoy these "in their own backyard".
"It's not just about attending the sport, but also about taking part in the sport outside the precinct," he explained.
On the periphery of Swift's concerts, Marina Bay Sands has set up a Taylor-themed walkthrough exhibition. Adventure Cove has organised a pool party, excitingly dubbed "Swifties Season".
And Jewel Changi Airport has invited fans to a singalong event, in what they expect to be the “largest Swifties event in Singapore” — friendship bracelets included.
With every concert, the government has also made it a point to ensure that a number of tickets are reserved for those who can't necessarily get them the mainstream way (i.e. shelling out hundreds of dollars).
"We work with the charities around. We work with South East CDC, we work with SG Cares volunteer centres, we work with Sport Cares...and our beneficiaries are people such as kids who come from low-income families or -at risk families.
"And we give tickets to them so that they can also be part of this programme."
This was the case for Coldplay, and will also be the case with Swift's concerts, Tong said.
He explained that KASM was able to do this because "we value social return, bringing our community closer together".
"Even as we do well with marquee events attracting good audiences, we will continue to use the Sports Hub as a venue for the community," he said, citing last year's national school games as an example that he is "very proud of".
"It's part of our vision, not just for high level marquee events, but also bringing the community back to sports...We had a big turnout here, right last year, we had the rugby finals here. 8,000 kids were in the stadium.
And I think it's a moment that they will cherish and will always remember."
Top image from Taylor Swift/Instagram and by Mothership