2018 continues to reveal itself as the year of the woman warrior: the top ten highest-earning female musicians on this year’s Forbes list have not only overcome the steep difficulties of being a woman in today’s increasingly-changing music industry, but have all done so by carving their own unique path, using both their unique approach to music and business savvy to assert themselves as the top dogs of their industry. If you’re looking for a little inspiration to close out the year—or are just curious as to how much your favourite popstar has in her pocket—take a peek at this year’s top ten highest-earning women in music, collected above.
Forbes just announced 2018’s highest-paid women in music
In the famous words of Donna Summer, “She works hard for the money.”
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10. Britney Spears
Britney has parlayed her pop dominance all the way from "Toxic" to 2018, having earned $30 million over this year.
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9. Celine Dion
Just a morsel ahead of Spears is Canadian musical icon Celine Dion, who made $31 million over 2018.
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8. Helene Fischer
The Russian-German singer may not be a household name across the pond yet, but that doesn't mean she isn't doing well for herself, having earned $32 million this year.
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7. Rihanna
Just because she didn't take a Superbowl paycheck doesn't mean she still can't eat caviar, with the singer sitting atop $37.5 million's worth of earnings to close out the year.
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6. Jennifer Lopez
Decades in at this point, Lopez' worldwide appeal still shows no signs of diminishing, with the songstress pulling in $47 million this year.
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5. Lady Gaga
Gaga closes out arguably her biggest year since her late-00s run of utter dominance with 50 million dollars' worth of evidence to show for it.
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4. Pink
Pink continues to be pop music's swiss army knife – though maybe never the most visible, she's never not there. Her dynamic and resilient nature earned her $52 million this year.
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3. Beyonce
Queen Bey continued her reign by pulling in a whopping $60 million this year – that's a hell of a lot of trips to Red Lobster.
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2. Taylor Swift
Though a newly-minted communist-in-the-tweets, Taylor remains a capitalist-in-the-streets, having elevated her brand to the tune of $80 million this year.
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1. Katy Perry
Though Perry may perhaps come across as a bit of a dark horse (heh), her mix of jaw-dropping concerts and a television presence as reliable as the beat in "Teenage Dream" is low-key moving has allowed Perry to have embedded herself in 2018's zeitgeist and make her this year's highest-earning woman in music, at $83 million.
Forbes just announced 2018’s highest-paid women in music
In the famous words of Donna Summer, “She works hard for the money.”