[South China Morning Post] 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 play in Singapore, some have blamed poor entertainment infrastructure and religious conservatism in their countries for driving her away.The US country-pop artist is holding six concert dates in the city state next March as part of her global Eras Tour, several weeks after British rock band Coldplay also performs six shows in Singapore — the longest they will spend in any country for their Music of the Spheres world tour.
"It’s really sad that she only gets to play in Singapore. Taylor’s fan base is huge in the Philippines," said university student Kheena Thrisia Ligas, a "Swiftie" in Cebu City who cannot afford to fly to Singapore to see her idol.
Swift’s songs are massively popular in the Philippines, topping Spotify charts there for an accumulated 610 days and being crowd favourites at karaoke machines across the nation.
Rumors of the demise of American cultural hegeomy may be exaggerated.