3-7-2023 (JAKARTA) As millions of Taylor Swift fans in Southeast Asia lament missing out on the chance to see the star live in concert following her decision to only perform in Singapore, some have attributed it to poor entertainment infrastructure and religious conservatism in their respective countries.
The US country-pop artist is set to hold six concert dates in Singapore next March as part of her global Eras Tour, which comes shortly after British rock band Coldplay’s six-show stint in the city-state for their Music of the Spheres world tour, the longest they will spend in any country.
“It’s really sad that she only gets to play in Singapore. Taylor’s fan base is huge in the Philippines,” said Kheena Thrisia Ligas, a university student and self-proclaimed “Swiftie” in Cebu City. Ligas, who cannot afford to fly to Singapore to see her idol, expressed disappointment.
Swift’s songs enjoy massive popularity in the Philippines, frequently topping Spotify charts and becoming crowd favorites at karaoke venues across the nation. In an attempt to persuade Swift to perform in the Philippines, fans have celebrated her Eras tour through drag shows and other events across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Ligas speculated that one reason Swift was skipping the Philippines was the lack of a stadium capable of accommodating the Eras Tour.
“I believe this whole fiasco is also because our government only really supports basketball, which explains why our country only has [sports] arenas,” the 22-year-old explained. “I think if we want a huge artist like Taylor to come to the Philippines and hold shows, mechanisms or regulations for logistics and venues should also be put into place.”
While infrastructure is not an issue in neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, given the capacity of Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (77,000 people) and Kuala Lumpur’s National Stadium Bukit Jalil (85,000 seats), fans in those countries point to red tape and political conservatism as deterrents for international performers.
Iqhram, a Swiftie from Malaysia, cited the “unnecessary bureaucracy in applying for concert permits” in Malaysia as a reason for Swift potentially skipping his home country. He noted that artists often had to deal with religious sensitivities from officials, with the risk of last-minute concert cancellations due to political pressure.
The Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) previously called for Coldplay’s concert in Kuala Lumpur to be cancelled, citing the band’s support for LGBTQ rights as promoting “a culture of hedonism and perversion.” Iqhram suggested that international musicians should consider holding events in Sarawak, where the risk of disruption would be lower compared to Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesia, with its position as the region’s biggest economy and most populous nation, sees Swift’s absence as further evidence that the country lacks allure when it comes to attracting big-name acts and global events. Some Indonesian Swifties speculate that the prevalence of ticket scalping in the country could also deter artists from staging shows there.
Okky Sutanto, a self-declared “hardline Swiftie,” mentioned viral cases of scalpers using multiple computers and devices to buy tickets during Coldplay’s ticket sales. He also highlighted the lack of decent public transport in Jakarta compared to Singapore and Indonesia’s flawed track record in crowd management.
Threats from hardline groups have exacerbated the situation. Last month, religious fundamentalists from the Islamist 212 Group threatened to besiege Jakarta’s airport in an effort to cancel Coldplay’s show due to their support for LGBTQ equality. The cancellation of Lady Gaga’s concert in Jakarta in 2012 due to protests by religious groups further illustrates the challenges faced by international artists.
The Jakarta government is aware of the missed opportunities and vows to be more proactive in seeking collaborations with global artists and event organizers. Sandiaga Uno, the country’s tourism and creative economy minister, stated that he is lobbying Live Nation, Coldplay’s concert promoter, to add an additional date for the band’s show in Jakarta. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful so far.
Vinsensius Jemadu, deputy for creative products and activities organizer at the tourism ministry, emphasized the need for Indonesia to meet several conditions set by world musicians before attracting their tours. These conditions include eradicating scalpers, adopting more environmentally friendly practices, and applying gender equality principles.
“We have to make sure that Indonesia also applies sustainable principles in every event. We have to make sure that holding events here provides maximum benefits for the community, especially for alleviating poverty,” Jemadu said.
As Taylor Swift’s fans in Southeast Asia express their disappointment, the challenges posed by entertainment infrastructure, red tape, and political conservatism highlight the need for countries in the region to address these issues and attract international artists to their shores.
