Reflections | How Taylor Swift’s Singapore effect could only have been achieved in ancient China by one singer, who briefly soared before losing everything
- Yongxin enchanted an emperor and became a celebrity in the capital Chang’an (present-day Xi’an), with her singing moving different people in different ways
- When a rebel captured and sacked the city in 756, she fled and eventually could only sing on the streets, dying with nothing to her name
I don’t know how much money the Singapore government paid to secure the six sell-out Taylor Swift concerts, which run from March 2-9, but it looks like the cash will have been well spent.
If we assume that even just a third of the audiences at the 55,000-seat Singapore National Stadium flies in from other countries, and that each visitor spends a fair bit of money during their trip, then the return on investment is going to be large.
There’s also the intangible buzz that generates goodwill and future profits for the city.
I also don’t know much about Taylor Swift’s work – besides one song, “Shake It Off”, from 2014 – but I’m impressed by the building “Tay Tay cray” in anticipation of the concerts. While I like a few recording artistes like Kate Bush, Björk and (please don’t judge me) Madonna, I have never reached that level of fanaticism in my affinity for any singer.
In contrast to the enormous wealth singers and musicians can generate today and the influence and stature they enjoy, those in premodern China were near the bottom of the social pecking order.
