The world’s wealthiest young musicians have claimed 9 out of 10 spots in Forbes‘ Top Earning Celebrities Under 30 list, proving there’s still a lot of money to be made in some areas of the music industry. So who’s come out on top for the last financial year? Our good mate Justin Bieber.
At only 20 years of age, Bieber is also the youngest person in Forbes‘ top ten. His immense income over the last year is largely thanks to a world tour, but he’s now also working on a new album. Bieber is followed closely by boy band One Direction, who made USD$5 million less than him this year.
Coming in third is Taylor Swift, the top-ranked woman on this year’s list. The 24-year-old released her fifth studio album, 1989, in October, and used social media to encourage her fans to buy copies of the album. Safe to say her 2014-2015 earnings will be very, very large. The only non-musician in Forbes‘ top ten is Hunger Games actor Jennifer Lawrence, who came in at number seven.
Forbes‘ Top Earning Celebrities Under 30 list is based on research which accounts for entertainment-related earnings for the under 30s between June 2013 and June 2014. Forbes‘ estimates do not deduct for taxes, management fee or other extraneous costs.
View Forbes‘ Top Earning Celebrities Under 30 top 10 in the gallery below.
Forbes‘ Top Earning Celebrities Under 30
Forbes' Top Earning Celebrities Under 30 Top 10
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Justinbieber
1. Justin Bieber (USD$80 million, Age 20): Bieber tops Forbes' top ten after raking in millions from a world tour behind his 2013 album 'Journals'. Despite his continuing run-ins with paparazzi and disgruntled neighbours, Bieber has done enough to take top spot and make all his Beliebers very, very proud. -
Onedirection
2. One Direction (USD$75 million, Average Age 21): One Direction quickly rose to fame after being formed on the British version of 'The X Factor'. The group have since released four albums, and have largely managed to steer clear of tarnishing their reputation, unlike Bieber. -
Taylorswift
3. Taylor Swift (USD$64 million, Age 24): The top-ranked female in the top ten, Swifty has become a pro at social media self-promotion this year, encouraging fans to share pictures of themselves buying her albums. Well, it seems to have worked. -
Brunomars
4. Bruno Mars (USD$60 million, Age 29): American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars is the elder statesmen of the top ten. That said, last year he became the youngest musician to ever play the Super Bowl halftime show, and his most recent album 'Unorthodox Jukebox' has gone double platinum. -
Rihanna
5. Rihanna (USD$48 million, Age 26): RiRi rounds out the top five, thanks to her escapades in the fashion and fragrance worlds. The singer's line of fragrances have already earned her some big money, and she's slowly moving further into the fashion world as well. -
Mileycyrus
6. Miley Cyrus (USD$36 million, Age 22): Having only just celebrated her 22nd birthday, the ever-unpredictable Miley Cyrus has made quite a bit of coin from her most recent album, 'Bangerz', as well as a string of successful tours, including a recent Australian jaunt. -
Jenniferlawrence
7. Jennifer Lawrence (USD$34 million, Age 24): The only non-musician in the top ten, actor Jennifer Lawrence's involvement in the Hunger Games series has brought her earnings above that of some of the world's most popular young musicians. -
Lady Gaga 16 9 1920x1080
8. Lady Gaga (USD$33 million, Age 28): Lady Gaga comes in at number eight this year with over USD$30 million. We'd normally expect the American singer to be a little higher on the list, but her latest album, 'Artpop', didn't reach its projected sales targets. -
Avicii
9. Avicii (USD$28 million, Age 25): Swedish EDM DJ Avicii, real name Tim Bergling, comes in at number nine. Bergling is the top-earning electronic music-producing celeb of the past financial year. With a new album looking promising for a 2015 release, Bergling's earnings will no doubt continue. -
Skrillex
10. Skrillex (USD$18 million, Age 26): Rounding out the list at number 10 is dubstep icon Skrillex, formally known as Sonny John Moore. Skrillex played some of the world's biggest festivals in the last year (Bonnaroo and TomorrowWorld USA, for example) and released his latest album, 'Recess', in March. His efforts earned him a cool $USD18 million.
