Can Lady Gaga match the ‘Taylor Swift effect’?

Singapore is Mother Monster’s only Asian stop in her ‘Mayhem Ball’ world tour.

Lady Gaga’s highly anticipated return to Singapore is expected to lift its tourism and retail sectors, though not to the same extent as Taylor Swift’s concerts did last year due to the shorter show nights and amidst economic uncertainty, analysts said.

Dr. Natt Srinara, a marketing lecturer at EHL Hospitality Business School, expects Lady Gaga’s four-night concert in May — her first performance in the city-state in 13 years — to generate $100m to $200m in tourism receipts, compared with estimates of at least $300m for Swift’s six-night concerts in March last year.

“With the current trade dispute situation, you’re definitely going to see some softening in demand,” he told Singapore Business Review, referring to sweeping reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on US trade partners.

“But because Singapore is really the most viable venue in all of Southeast Asia, even possibly Asia, we should still see decent numbers [of economic value],” he said in a StreamYard interview. 

Christopher Khoo, managing director at MasterConsult Services Pte. Ltd., expects Lady Gaga to attract 200,000 visitors.

“While it is a very much anticipated series of concerts, it will not measure up to what Taylor Swift achieved last year,” he said in a StreamYard interview.

Swift’s shows drew more than 300,000 fans from Singapore and around Southeast Asia, according to the Singapore Tourism Board. Singapore is Lady Gaga’s only Asian stop in her “Mayhem Ball” world tour.

The Singapore government's deal to make the country the exclusive Southeast Asian stop for Swift's “Eras Tour” sparked criticism from regional neighbours, including Vietnam, which saw the move as unfriendly.

The “Taylor Swift effect,” which looks at how the superstar singer-songwriter has built her brand into an economic engine, worked its magic in Singapore last year.

Tourism receipts from the Swift and Coldplay concerts totalled $350m to $450m, 6% more than the average first-quarter figures in 2023, according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, citing private sector analysts.

While the government did not release a breakdown by event, Bloomberg, citing DBS on 8 March, said Swift’s shows alone might have contributed $300m to $400m to the economy. 

READ MORE: Singapore needs to go beyond concerts to amplify tourism

Swift's six-day concerts delivered the highest March average daily revenue per room for hotels and pushed revenue per available room to a record, according to preliminary data from CoStar Group, Inc.

Gaga’s shows remain a strategic opportunity given that they take place in May — often a lull period for Singapore tourism, Khoo said.

“We can easily absorb this influx without too much displacement of the regular tourist traffic,” he said. “I compare this with Taylor Swift, who came last year, and that was right after the Singapore Airshow, which kind of crowded out Singapore.”

“There was a lot of displacement during that time,” he added.

The airshow took place on 20 to 25 February 2024, while Swift’s concerts ran between 2 and 9 March 2024.

Lau Kong Cheen, an associate professor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, expects Lady Gaga’s upcoming shows to generate $200m to $250m in revenue across sectors, including entertainment and tourism.

Whilst the Gaga concerts might fall short in terms of direct revenue compared with Swift, Lau thinks their overall impact could be on par.

High-profile concerts, including Gaga’s, have helped reshape perceptions of Singapore, he pointed out. “It has made [Singapore] look more fun, energetic and exciting, beyond just being seen as a place for culture and shopping.”