US singer Taylor Swift has now dethroned Bajan musician and beauty icon Rihanna as the world’s richest female singer.
According to Forbes, Swift, who reached billionaire status late last year, had a net worth increase as a result of her successful Eras Tour – Swift holds the record for the largest tour gross ever, netting over $2 billion (Ksh. 1.5 trillion) for 125 shows, or approximately $16 million (Ksh. 2 billion) per show.
The “Bad Blood” singer is now valued at an estimated $1.6 billion (Ksh. 206 billion) . She is only behind Jay-Z, who is the richest musician in the world with a net worth of $2.5 billion (Ksh. 322 billion).
In addition to touring, Swift’s increase in fortune also comes from her catalog being valued at $600 million (Ksh. 77 billion), an additional $600 million (Ksh. 77 billion) in royalties, and about $125 million (Ksh. 16 billion) in real estate from her multiple homes across the United States, Forbes reports.
Her Eras Tour film was also a success, raking in over $261 million (Ksh. 33.6 billion) at the box office since its October 2023 premiere.
Swift made headlines after announcing that she would be re-recording all of her old albums so that she retains the credits, masters, and royalties of her music. Since then, her “Taylor’s Version” recreations of songs have been successful. “I think that artists deserve to own their work,” she said in a 2019 Good Morning America interview. “I just feel very passionately about that.”
The previous title-holder for world’s richest female musician was Rihanna.
The R&B singer’s successful cosmetics line Fenty Beauty, and her lingerie line Savage X Fenty account for most of her fortune. Rihanna notably hasn’t released an album in nearly a decade since 2016’s ANTI.
Nonetheless, her 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad has spent three years on the Billboard 200.
At the moment, Taylor Swift is the 2,117th wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes. On the other hand, Rihanna secured the position of 2,336.
