Taylor Swift net worth skyrockets to beat Rihanna as richest female musician in the world

Pop musician Taylor Swift has officially become the ‘richest female musician’ in the world — dethroning Rihanna in the process. The Tortured Poets Department singer — currently on her global Eras Tour — has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion. She is currently listed behind Jay-Z on the Forbes list and the “first musician to make the billionaire ranking primarily based on her songs and performances”.

Swift was propelled into billionaire status a year earlier thanks to the earnings from her immensely successful Eras tour and the value of her music catalog. Some estimates suggest that the record-breaking concert series — set to be the most lucrative in American history — will garner the artist as much as $4.1 billion.

“Her fortune includes nearly $600 million amassed from royalties and touring, plus a music catalog worth an estimated $600 million and some $125 million in real estate,” Forbes adds its rankings.

Swift and her ongoing concert series — also the subject of a movie a few months ago — is believed to have "redefined entertainment economics" in the post-COVID era.

A Washington Post analysis conducted around this time last year estimated that the Taylor Swift phenomenon could add an estimated $5.7 billion boost to the American economy. The article estimated that Swifties (as her fanbase is known) had spent about $93 million per show of the Eras Tour on tickets, merchandise, travel, hotels, food and outfits.

The development came mere weeks after fellow musician Selena Gomez also catapulted to billionaire status — one of the youngest on the list. The Only Murders in the Building star however garnered her wealth primarily through the success of her beauty brand and some other lucrative ventures. Reports suggest that Rare Beauty accounts for about 81.4% of her overall net worth.

The valuation also encompasses her stake in the mental health startup Wondermind, revenue from music album sales, real estate investments, and earnings from streaming deals, brand partnerships, concert tours, and acting projects.

(With inputs from agencies)