US singer Taylor Swift has overtaken Rihanna as the world’s richest female singer, according to Forbes. Swift, who became a billionaire late last year, saw a significant increase in her net worth thanks to her highly successful Eras Tour. The tour, which holds the record for the largest gross in history, earned over $2 billion (Ksh. 1.5 trillion) across 125 shows, averaging about $16 million (Ksh. 2 billion) per performance.
Swift’s estimated net worth now stands at $1.6 billion (Ksh. 206 billion), placing her just behind Jay-Z, who is the wealthiest musician globally with a net worth of $2.5 billion (Ksh. 322 billion). Her wealth also comes from her music catalog, valued at $600 million (Ksh. 77 billion), an additional $600 million (Ksh. 77 billion) in royalties, and approximately $125 million (Ksh. 16 billion) in real estate from her properties across the U.S. Swift’s Eras Tour film, released in October 2023, has also performed well, grossing over $261 million (Ksh. 33.6 billion) at the box office.
Swift made headlines with her decision to re-record all of her past albums to retain ownership of her music, a move she has passionately defended. “I think that artists deserve to own their work,” she said in a 2019 interview with Good Morning America.
Rihanna, the previous titleholder, has amassed her fortune mainly through her successful businesses, including her cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty and her lingerie line Savage X Fenty. Despite not releasing an album since 2016’s ANTI, Rihanna’s earlier works, such as Good Girl Gone Bad, continue to maintain significant popularity, with the album spending three years on the Billboard 200.
Currently, Swift is ranked as the 2,117th wealthiest person globally, while Rihanna holds the position of 2,336.
