Some will tell you that music is essential to life. Every mood and occasion has its own song. Music conveys a wide range of emotions to which most people can relate strongly.
It makes people laugh, cry, and even make love to. It is for this reason that musicians who can attract a decent audience can make a living from it.
However, some have gone on to make a lot of money in the music industry. The following are the world’s wealthiest musicians, according to Forbes.
20. Bruce Springsteen (American)
Bruce Springsteen is an American singer and songwriter. He is the leader of the band, E Street Band. Over the course of his career, Bruce has won several awards including 20 Grammy Awards. He has sold over 135 million records worldwide. He is worth $300 million.
19. Taylor Swift (American)
Taylor Swift is an American singer and songwriter. She started out as a country singer where she had lots of success before transitioning to pop where she is still dominating the charts.
She has millions of fans worldwide who adore her. She has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and was included in Rolling Stone, 100 Greatest Songwriters of all time list in 2015. She has amassed a net worth of $300 million.
18. Sting (English)
Sting is an English musician and songwriting. He gained fame as being the principal songwriter, lead singer and bassist for the rock band, the Police from 1977 – 1984 before launching his own solo music career. He has numerous awards including 17 Grammy awards and three Brit awards. He is worth $300 million.
17. Jon Bon Jovi (American)
Jon Bon Jovi is an American singer and songwriter. He is also the founder and face of the rock band, Bon Jovi. Along with his band, he has sold over 130 million albums worldwide. In 2009, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is worth $310 million.
16. Keith Richards (English)
Keith Richards is an English singer and songwriter. He is known as one of the founders of the rock band, the Rolling Stones.
He is also a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the band. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him as No.4 on their 100 best guitarists in 2011. He is worth $340 million.
15. Ringo Starr (English)
Ringo Starr is an English singer, songwriter, and drummer. He is most known for his role as the drummer in the famous rock band, The Beatles. After the group disbanded in the 70s, Ringo went on to have a solo career and has had many successful hits. He is the richest drummer in the world with a net worth of $350 million.
14. Mick Jagger (English)
Mick Jagger is an English singer and songwriter who is most known as the lead singer and founder of the Rolling Stones.
He is known for being one of the most influential voices in the history of rock and roll. Apart from the band, he has also had major success as a solo artist. He is worth $360 million.
13. Beyoncé (American)
Beyoncé is an American singer and songwriter. Many refer to her as the greatest performer of her generation. She rose to fame as being a part of the group, Destiny’s Child in the late 90s before launching a solo career of her own where she has had massive success. She has won numerous awards including 23 Grammys and is the most nominated woman in Grammy history. She is worth $450 million.
12. Elton John (English)
Elton John is an English singer, songwriter, pianist and composer. With over 300 million records sold, he is one of the best-selling musicians in the world. He has won many awards including five Grammys and three Brit awards. He is worth $480 million.
11. Emilio Estefan (Cuban)
Emilio Estefan is a Cuban musician and producer. He came into fame as a member of the band, Miami Sound Machine. He has won numerous awards including 19 Grammys and has accumulated a net worth of $500 million.
10. Mariah Carey (American)
Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. She rose to fame in the 90s after the release of her debut album which remained at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart for 11 consecutive weeks.
She is also the first and only artist to have their first five singles reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She has sold over 200 million records and is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She is worth $520 million.
9. Bono (Irish)
Bono is an Irish singer, songwriter and lead vocalist of the rock band U2. As a member of the band, Bono has won 22 Grammys and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is worth $610 million.
8. Céline Dion (Canadian)
Céline Dion is a Canadian singer who had gained fame in her teens after releasing a bunch of French language albums.
In 1990, she released her first English language album where she garnered worldwide fame and success. She has sold over 200 million albums worldwide and is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She is worth over $800 million.
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7. Madonna (American)
Madonna is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the 80s after releasing her debut album and has been hailed as the Queen of Pop.
She has sold over 300 million albums worldwide and is the best-selling female recording artist of all time. She is also the highest grossing touring artist of all time as she has sold over $1.4 billion in concert tickets. She is worth $800 million.
6. Dr. Dre (American)
Dr. Dre is an American rapper and producer. He has produced records for many rappers including Eminem, 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. He has won six Grammy awards and is worth $800 million.
5. Diddy (American)
Diddy is an American rapper and producer. His debut album, No Way Out – which he released in 1997 – has been certified platinum seven times. He also founded the record label, Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993. He is worth $820 million.
4. Herb Alpert (American)
Herb Alpert is an American jazz musician who is known for his work with the group, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. He has sold over 72 million records and has accumulated a net worth of $850 million.
3. Jay-Z (American)
Jay-Z is an American rapper and producer. He is often regarded as one of the best rappers of all time and has won numerous awards including 22 Grammys.
He became the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017 and has amassed a fortune of $900 million.
2. Andrew Llyod Webber (English)
Andrew Lloyd Webber is an English musical composer and impresario. He has composed 13 musicals and many of them have run for over a decade in West End and Broadway.
He received a knighthood in 1992 and a peerage from Queen Elizabeth II which enables him to sit in the House of Lords. He is worth $1.04 billion.
1. Paul McCartney (English)
Paul McCartney is an English singer and songwriter who is most known for his role as the bass guitarist and singer of the famous rock group, The Beatles. After the group disbanded in the 70s, he wantons to have an illustrious solo career and is the richest musician in the world with a net worth of $1.2 billion.