'A bittersweet feeling': Singaporean gives Taylor Swift VIP concert tickets to student; raises $14k for charity

After rallying members of the public and raising a whopping $14,480 for charity, Leon Qiu has given away his pair of The Eras Tour VIP tickets to one lucky winner. 

Over 140 donors participated in the campaign, Qiu, 37, told AsiaOne today (March 9).

He previously said in another video he would be giving away two tickets to Taylor Swift's concert on March 8 as he bought them out of curiosity. 

@thatleonqiu

Sorry if you did not recievd my DM. The winner has been picked. And I thank you for donating to a good cause. Winner’s update to follow in abit.

♬ original sound - Leon Qiu

Fans who wanted a chance to win the tickets were required to make a donation to Child at Street 11, a non-profit organisation which provides after-school care to children from low-income families. 

After that, they had to send Qiu a message sharing why they wanted the tickets. 

"The most persuasive comment will be picked," he told AsiaOne earlier this week. 

In a TikTok video filmed in his car on March 7, Qiu shared that he was about to hand the tickets over to the winner of his giveaway. 

"Prior to this moment, I thought this would be an exciting thing to do, but it's really kind of bittersweet. 

"Because in the course of choosing a winner, you ultimately have to deny the dreams of many others who have commented and donated." 

Speaking to AsiaOne today, Qiu said he chose a student named Hairul, who had made a $10 donation, to receive the tickets. 

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In his message to Qiu over TikTok, the student said he wanted to surprise his mother with the tickets, but did not have the means to buy tickets on his own. 

Both Hairul and his mother are Swifties, he said. 

Hairul also told Qiu about some the struggles he faced growing up, how he overcame them and how he also does volunteer work. 

"Neither of us have gone for a concert before and I'm hoping that we can experience our first," he wrote. 

Qiu told AsiaOne that he picked Hairul because of his circumstances. 

"He shared about his own struggles and his parents' which gave me the impression that his mother was integral in fostering that groundedness I saw in him.

"I thought that was admirable." 

Qiu also posted two videos of him meeting Hairul, where he passed the young man the VIP merchandise box and the tickets.

@thatleonqiu Intially i had told the winner entry that he had won a consolation prize which was the merch. Explains the SIAN FACE. But i had hid the tickets inside the box! #taylorswifterastour #trending #singapore #taylorswiftgiveaway #sgtiktok #charity ♬ original sound - Leon Qiu

"So your job is to show this to your mother, okay?" said Qiu in the video, earning a nod from the elated winner.

Although he felt it was a "bittersweet feeling" that he had to disappoint many Swifties, Qiu said he was still touched and humbled by the responses he received. 

He added that there were some who made donations, but asked to be excluded from the draw as they had already attended the concert. 

"But ultimately the winners are the kids from Child at Street 11. The money could mean another meal that they might have missed, or an opportunity to learn." 

AsiaOne has contact Hairul for further comment. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com

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