With wealth estimated at £468 million, Rihanna has officially become the richest female musician in the United Kingdom, Elle reported.
The pop singer has reportedly been living in London for three years and recently made her debut appearance among the country’s richest musicians, ranking third on the prestigious Sunday Times Rich List 2020. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Paul McCartney placed ahead of her, both with £800 million each.
Robert Watts, who curates the annual Rich List, told the BBC that Rihanna’s placement “caught [them] by surprise.”
“Very few people knew she was living in the UK until last summer. Now she’s well placed to be the first musician to reach billionaire status in the UK.”
Rihanna’s earnings empire consists of royalties from her wildly-impressive music catalog, Fenty Cosmetics, Savage X Fenty, and her partnership with LMVH on the clothing line extension of her business.
Fenty Cosmetics is valued at $3 billion, and Rihanna’s 15 percent stake in that company is worth £351 million.
Rihanna also surpassed rock legends Elton John and Mick Jagger, who were in fourth and fifth place respectively. Further down on the list of the top 40 highest-earners were two other popular musicians, Ed Sheeran and Sting.
“Her £468m fortune makes her the richest female musician not just in the UK, but the world – ahead of Madonna (£462m), Celine Dion (£365m) and Beyoncé (£325m),” BBC wrote.
Ironically, the pop star has not released a studio album since the 2016 release of Anti . Despite the consistent demand from her fans for new music, she has been strengthening her mogul status while focusing on successfully growing her other brands and businesses. The Inquisitr recently reported on the singer’s response to impatient fans calling for her to release new music, as she previously told them she’s “tryna save the world.”
Rihanna also founded the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) in 2012, in honor of her grandparents. CLF supports and funds education and emergency response funds around the globe.
Rihanna has donated millions of dollars to various causes related to the coronavirus pandemic. Joined by Jay-Z, the two donated millions of dollars to support undocumented workers, the incarcerated, homeless and elderly populations, and children of frontline healthcare workers in Los Angeles and New York City. She also contributed $2.1 million along with Twitter’s Jack Dorsey for a $4.2 million grant to help Los Angeles residents dealing with domestic violence.
As Rihanna is earning her way to the top of the world’s wealthiest lists, it is commendable that she is not just taking the world by storm, but also changing it for the better along the way.