Beyoncé blamed for inflation rise in Sweden
Beyoncé has been blamed for Sweden’s inflation rise after the start of her ‘Renaissance’ tour in the country last month.
The megastar’s decision to commence her huge world tour in Sweden created a surge in restaurant and hotel pricing in the area as thousands arrived for the show. Due to this, Sweden reported higher-than-expected inflation of 9.7% in May.
Michael Grahn, the chief economist at Danske Bank, the biggest bank in neighbouring Denmark, told CNN that the inflation increase was “definitely not normal. Stars come here all the time, [but] we seldom see effects like this.”
In an email to BBC, Grahn wrote “I wouldn’t … blame Beyoncé for [the] high inflation print, but her performance and global demand to see her perform in Sweden apparently added a little to it.”
He added that fans traveled to the country for the two sold out ‘Renaissance’ dates due to a “very weak” Swedish currency and concert tickets being relatively cheaper than elsewhere.
Grahn also mentioned that “There are a limited number of hotels and accommodation in the Stockholm area,” adding that hotels further away from the capital had raised prices as a result. He expects the “Beyoncé effect” to be short-lived, with hotel prices dropping over the next month.
Last month, Forbes reported that the pop icon’s ongoing ‘Renaissance‘ tour could gross nearly $2.1billion (£1.7billion) .
In other Beyoncé news, the singer was recently featured in the Forbes Richest Self-Made Women list alongside Rhianna and Taylor Swift.
She appears as 45th on the list, with her estimated net worth rising from $450million (£360million) in 2022 to £540million (£433million) in 2023. In April, Beyoncé filed a petition challenging a claim made by the US federal tax office that she owes $2.7million (£2.1million) in unpaid tax and penalties.
She also treated a fan to a pair of her sunglasses during the second night of her ‘Renaissance’ world tour concert in London.
In a four-star review of her show in London, NME shared: “It’s refreshing to witness the playfulness that runs through the whole show; nobody could possibly deny that Beyoncé is one of music’s most talented titans, but there’s now a lightness to her performance which offers up something new. “
The post Beyoncé blamed for inflation rise in Sweden appeared first on NME.
Anagricel Duran
NME
