Jakarta. International fans are flying to Jakarta for major concerts, spending on hotels, restaurants, and nightlife, while social media is turning concert fashion into a growing “baddie” business.

The arrival of American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, offered a glimpse of the phenomenon. His concert at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Saturday drew an estimated 70,000 fans, including thousands who travelled from overseas. For some, the trip was as much about discovering Jakarta as seeing an artist perform.

For others, it was an opportunity to dress up, document the experience, and participate in a culture where looking good is part of the show. The result is a growing intersection between live entertainment and what social media users call the “baddie economy”: a market built around confidence, beauty, fashion, and self-expression.

Concert Tourism Goes Beyond the Ticket

Summer Cunningham, 20, and Rachel Powell, 47, flew from Perth, Australia, to attend Ye’s concert. Their tickets were a birthday gift, but the wider trip cost them between A$3,000 (Rp 54 million) and A$5,000 combined, including flights, accommodation, and other expenses.

The biggest costs were airfare and hotels. Neither considered the trip cheap, but both thought it worthwhile.

“It’s a little bit more expensive, but it’s worth it,” Powell said.

Their spending illustrates how international concerts can turn a single evening of entertainment into a multi-day tourism experience, supporting businesses well beyond the stadium.

Gabriel Xavier, 27, travelled from Brazil with a friend, arriving in Jakarta a day before the show. He discovered the concert through Instagram and estimated that he spent about 25,000 Brazilian reais, or roughly Rp 83 million, on flights, accommodation, tickets, and other expenses.

For Xavier, the spending was not an extravagant purchase so much as an investment in an experience.

“We are really into the experience of things,” he said. “We get to know your city, we get to know Jakarta, and we want to come back.”

A concert ticket brings a fan through the stadium gates; the trip can generate additional spending at hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, ride-hailing services, and tourist attractions.

The Business of Being a Baddie

The concert economy adds another layer to the spending story. The show is not merely a performance to consume; it is an occasion to be seen consuming it.

Cunningham estimated that she spends 30-40% of her monthly income on fashion, entertainment, and beauty. Social media helps shape what she wears to concerts, though Ye’s previous shows and the outfits of other fans also provide inspiration.

Keeping up with fashion trends can be expensive. Clothes that are popular one week may go out of style the next, while some outfits are bought just for a photo and never worn again.

“You wear things one time or for a photo,” Cunningham said. “You see other people’s outfits, so you want to recreate them."

The cycle is familiar to brands and influencers, who benefit from the constant demand for new looks. For younger consumers, it can also create pressure to participate in an increasingly expensive visual competition.

Xavier was less troubled by the pressure, describing it as part of contemporary life. He believed influencers and companies selling clothes benefited most.

Confidence and the Social Media Pressure

For Melissa Andini, 41, attending Ye’s concert in Jakarta was an exercise in self-expression, not a competition to look the best.

She spent about Rp 4 million ($220) on a ticket and another Rp 500,000 on food, transportation, and other expenses. Her concert outfit was a newly purchased shirt, while her makeup, hair, and nails were all done at home.

Around her, however, other concertgoers were going all out, turning the stadium into a showcase of carefully curated looks.

“People come to concerts and dress to the max,” Melissa said. “They even compete to see who’s the baddest girl.”

The word “baddie,” once rooted in African American slang for an attractive, confident, and stylish woman, has become a fixture of social media culture. On platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, it describes an aesthetic built around bold fashion, beauty routines, and unapologetic self-confidence.

But the trend has also created an economic ecosystem, drawing spending toward fashion, cosmetics, entertainment, tourism and the growing business of influencing how people look.

For Tasya Dominique, 24, being a baddie is fundamentally about confidence.

“Self-confidence. It has to be there,” she said.

The aesthetic may be associated with expensive outfits, elaborate makeup, and carefully staged social media images, but the women interviewed said looking good does not necessarily mean spending more.

Jakarta Counts the Economic Gains

Indonesia’s immigration authority recorded a surge of about 25,000 foreign visitors to Jakarta ahead of Ye’s concert, with arrivals peaking at 10,000 on Oct. 23. The authority issued 88 sport and performer visas for Ye and members of his entourage.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung estimated that Ye’s concert generated Rp450 billion in economic activity. Ticket sales alone reached Rp 328 billion, according to Pramono, including spending before and after the show.

The figures add to the growing economic contribution of international entertainment events. The Weeknd’s concert, held alongside the Pestapora music festival on Sept. 26-27, generated nearly Rp250 billion in economic activity, according to estimates by the Jakarta administration.

The city is also preparing for another major international attraction. BTS will bring its BTS World Tour 'Arirang' to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Dec. 26, 27, and 29, giving Jakarta another opportunity to attract overseas fans and their spending.

The economic benefits of these concerts extend beyond the venues, as visitors stay in the city and spend on hotels, restaurants, shopping, and other activities. Pramono said the impact of Ye’s concert continued after the show, with many fans remaining in Jakarta.

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