Last week, Forbes released their annual list for the highest paid female musicians of 2014. If you remember from last year, Madonna surprised us all by ending 2013 with a bang and $125 million in her pocket. From her MDNA Tour (which grossed a total of $305 million), “Material Girl” clothing line and collection, and her fragrance “Truth or Dare,” she easily beat out most celebrities. However, 2014 proved to be a quiet year for her; Madonna didn’t even make Forbes’ 2014 list. But don’t get too upset, Madonna’s confirmed that she’s currently recording her thirteenth studio album, and collaborators include Avicii, Natalia Kills and Diplo. So maybe we’ll see Madonna again on next year’s list. Now, you’re probably wondering who dominated the list this year? Continue reading to find out!
1. Beyoncé
Surprise, Beyonce topped the Forbes’ list with a whopping $115 million dollars. In 2013, she earned around $53 million and only ranked fourth on the list. In 2014, she more than doubled her earnings from last year–maybe all those controversies and marriage rumors helped? As you can probably guess, most of her income came from her On The Run tour with husband Jay-Z. She performed 95 shows and made on average around $2.5 million in each city. Furthermore, the launch of her album at the very end of last year definitely helped to boost her income. It’s simple to say that Beyonce has reaffirmed our beliefs: she truly is queen.
Side note: If you haven’t heard, she’s planning on dropping a Platinum edition of her album, which will include 2 new songs and a couple of remixes!
2. Taylor Swift
Number 2 on Forbes’ list goes out to Taylor Swift! Whether you love her or hate her, she ended the year with $64 million after pulling in income from live TV shows, music, and endorsements with various brands like Diet Coke and CoverGirl. Plus, her new album 1989 sold over 1 million units in its first week out!
3. Pink
While you may not have heard anyone mention Pink’s name recently, she ended the year with $52 million in her bank account. In 2014 ,she went on tour to more than 85 cities and received around $1 million at each stop. Over the past year she’s also released new music and had various endorsements with CoverGirl.
4. Rihanna
Number 4 goes to Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty with $48 million! While she failed to release any new singles, she still managed to make the list! With over 13 million followers on Instagram and almost 38 million followers on Twitter, Rihanna has proved her superstar status!
5. Katy Perry
Katy Perry ranked number five on the list, with an estimated $40 million. Like others, she endorsed many brands like CoverGirl and PopChips, while supporting her own fragrance, Killer Queen. In 2014, she also went on her third concert tour for “Prism” (her fourth studio album).
6. Jennifer Lopez
Between launching several singles and her new album “A.K.A.,” performing the official song for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and judging on American Idol, JLo managed to make an estimated $37 million this year.
7. Miley Cyrus
Can we say twerk or werk? With the sales of her platinum album Bangerz and her world tour, she ended 2014 with $36 million. 2014 was a busy year for Cyrus, from playing a concert show on MTV Unplugged to being featured in Marc Jacob’s Spring 2014 ad campaign and working on a new album, Miley has done it all. Hopefully we’ll see her continue to rise in the coming years!
8. Celine Dion
While you may not have heard about her in the media at all, she managed to make $36 million in 2014. Dion also managed to release a 3 disc set that featured her recorded performance on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, and also included bonus tracks to her sold out tours. The album, Celine use seule fois, reached the top ten on album charts in multiple countries.
9. Lady Gaga
While her newest album didn’t beat out her previous sales, Lady Gaga still managed to make the list this year with $33 million. Between making a cameo in the movie Sin City and releasing a her newest album Cheek to Cheek, Lady Gaga had a pretty successful year.
10. Britney Spears
Oops, she did it again! Britney Spears made this year’s list (barely) with $33 million. Britney continues to perform countless shows at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and she launched her newest album “Britney Jean” earlier this year. From the early 2000’s until now, Britney always knows how to stay relevant!
To check out more details on who made Forbes’ list, click here.