Richest Singers of All Time

Garth Brooks, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry made the list.

Richest Singers of All Time

You can go broke trying to make a career as a musician. Or you could sell millions of copies worldwide, become an international icon and retire off of royalties.

To say these singers are rich would be an understatement. These country crooners, pop music superstars and musical geniuses have become titans of their industry and incredibly wealthy. A few of them you may not have even heard of.

Familiar musicians such as Katy Perry, Garth Brooks and Lady Gaga have made this list of the world's richest singers. But can you guess who else made the cut?

30. Bette Midler

Net worth: $220 million

Age: 75

Country: United States

Bottom line: Bette Midler

Hawaiian-born Bette Midler is a singer, songwriter and actress who moved to New York City in 1965 and developed a following by singing in the Continental Baths, a Roman-style gay bathhouse that was located in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel. She also worked on her acting career and studied at the HB Studio at the time.

Midler's debut album, "The Divine Miss M," released in December 1972 sold a million records and landed on Billboard's Top 10. She made a hit film in 1979 called "The Rose," which made $29.2 million on a $9.3 million budget.

To date, Midler has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

29.Justin Timberlake

Net worth: $225 million

Age: 39

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake started his career as a child on "The Mickey Mouse Club," appearing alongside Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

In 1995, Timberlake was recruited by Lou Pearlman to the boy band NSYNC, which propelled him to popularity. He dropped his first solo album, "Justified" in 2002. It sold over 10 million copies worldwide. And who could forget the Superbowl XXVIII halftime show, where he totally didn't mean to reveal Janet Jackson's nipple in that infamous "wardrobe malfunction"?

Overall, Timberlake has sold over 32 million albums worldwide.

28. Kenny Chesney

Net worth: $225 million

Age: 52

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney is a country music singer who grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. After graduating from East Tennessee State University, where he studied marketing, Chesney made his way to Nashville in 1990 and played the clubs.

Eventually, he was noticed by a record label called Capricorn Records. The label folded not long after Chesney's debut album "In My Wildest Dreams," which released in late 1993.

While the album was scarcely promoted, it sold 10,000 copies and led to a record deal with BNA Records. He kept recording albums and grew in popularity, achieving his first gold record with "Me and You" in 1996.

Chesney is a prolific artist and has released 20 albums, with nine of them reaching the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.

27. Rihanna

Net worth: $230 million

Age: 32

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Rihanna

Rihanna grew up in Bridgetown, Barbados, in an abusive household. Her father was addicted to crack cocaine and would routinely abuse her mother as well as the future superstar.

When she was 15, she and two other classmates formed a singing group, who landed an audition with a record producer. Rihanna was handpicked from that group. She released a demo tape that was discovered by newly appointed Def Jam CEO Jay-Z. In 2005, she moved to the United States and signed with Def Jam.

Rihanna has had a much-publicized personal life, especially for the abuse she suffered at the hands of Chris Brown. She is also one of the most beloved singers of our time, a fashion icon and a philanthropist. She has sold well over 250 million albums worldwide.

26. Garth Brooks

Net worth: $240 million

Age: 58

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He didn't really begin his music career until after he graduated from college and was in his mid-twenties. He sang in bars around Oklahoma until he was noticed by an entertainment lawyer who convinced Brooks to move to Nashville in 1987.

Brooks' very first album made No. 12 on the Billboard 200 when it released in 1989. That album included the classic songs "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" and "The Dance."

Brooks has earned two Grammys, 17 American Music Awards and holds the record for most diamond albums in the United States with nine (the Beatles have six).

25. Tina Arena

Net worth: $245 million

Age: 53

Country: Australia

Bottom Line: Tina Arena

Tina Arena is an Australian singer-songwriter and producer who has sold over 10 million records.

Arena began her career young, becoming a cast member of Australia's "Young Talent Time" in 1974, which made her a familiar face in the country.

After getting her high school degree, she pursued a music career. In the early 1990s, when was in her early 20s, she had numerous hits.

24. Tom Jones

Net worth: $250 million

Age: 80

Country: United Kingdom

Bottom Line: Tom Jones

Tom Jones was born in 1940 to a working-class family in South Wales. He married his high school girlfriend at the age of 16. The two had a child together around that time, and Jones worked in a glove factory. (The pair stayed married for 59 years, until her death in 2016).

Jones gained attention while he was singing with a Welsh beat group in the early 1960s. The Decca record label signed him in 1963. Jones' hit song "It's Not Unusual" became a massive hit in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and he secured a contract to write the theme songs for "What's New Pussycat?" and "Thunderball."

By 1967, Jones moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he had an incredibly successful and long-running career singing for casinos and various venues in the city. He also hosted a variety series and went on to appear in several films.

23. Diana Ross

Net worth: $250 million

Age: 76

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Diana Ross

Diana Ross grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Detroit. While she was a teenager, she worked a Hudson's Department Store in 1960, becoming the first Black bus girl at the city's downtown location.

When she was just 15 years old, Ross joined an all-girl band, which would be known as The Supremes. The Supremes became one of the most famous female bands of all time, and Ross went on to pursue a very successful solo career.

22. Lady Gaga

Net worth: $275 million

Age: 34

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga grew up in New York City to an upper-middle-class family and went to the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls Roman Catholic School. She trained in music and piano since she was 4 and went on to briefly study music at college before dropping out to pursue her music career full-time.

Gaga gained recognition and a following while playing with a band called the SGBand in New York City and was picked by a talent scout around 2006.

Her debut album, "The Fame," released in 2008 and was an instant success.

21. Aaron Kwok

Net worth: $275 million

Age: 55

Country: Hong Kong

Bottom Line: Aaron Kwok

Aaron Kwok was originally destined to work at, and possibly own, a large jewelry store in Hong Kong that belonged to his father. Instead, he found his way into the entertainment business and became a famous pop star by his mid-20s.

He is one of the most famous singers in the Cantopop scene, becoming one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" — four musicians that were so popular they were featured prominently in all forms of media.

20. Taylor Swift

Net worth: $280 million

Age: 31

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift grew up in an upper-middle-class family in West Reading, Pennsylvania, and started her music career very young. She was given a development deal at the age of 14 with RCA, but the label declined to officially sign her.

Swift and her family moved to Nashville, and she was discovered by producer Scott Borchetta when she was 16. Within three years, Swift's record sales topped seven million. By 19, she was the hottest act in the country.

To date, Swift has sold over 200 million records and has earned 10 Grammys.

19. Nana Mouskouri

Net worth: $280 million

Age: 86

Country: Greece

Bottom Line: Nana Mouskouri

Nana Mouskouri is a Greek singer who grew up during the Nazi occupation of Greece. She sang in nightclubs during the 1950s. Her singing style was influenced by singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

Her music was hugely popular in Europe (especially France) and Canada, although she was not as popular in the United States.

During her career, she released an astonishing 200 albums in over a dozen languages.

18. Julio Iglesias

Net worth: $300 million

Age: 77

Country: Spain

Bottom Line: Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias grew up in Madrid and almost became a professional soccer player, but a serious car accident in 1963 damaged his spine and took away his ability to walk for two years.

While recovering, a nurse gave him a guitar to help him regain the use of his hands and distract him from his depression. Iglesias spent time writing songs and discovered his love and talent for music.

Iglesias went on to have a successful music career in Spain before moving to Miami, Florida, in 1979. In the United States, he won numerous awards and became a pop culture icon. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide.

17. Justin Bieber

Net worth: $305 million

Age: 26

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube by record producer Scooter Braun.

At the age of 13, Bieber was already on his way to worldwide fame, working with famed R&B singer Usher as his young protégé. At 16, his hit single, "Baby," made him the youngest and hottest act in the world.

About half of Bieber's life has been spent in the limelight, with all its ups and downs. He has sold over $150 million records and owns some rather extravagant real estate.

16. Cher

Net worth: $305 million

Age: 74

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Cher

Cher was a high school dropout from El Centro, California, who moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting and singing career.

While performing at night clubs in the city, she met Sonny Bono. The two fell in love and formed Sonny and Cher. In 1965, the duo released "I Got You Babe," which made them internationally famous.

Sonny and Cher had a variety show in the early 1970s but eventually split up in 1975. Cher went on to pursue a solo career and sold over 60 million records on her own.

15. George Strait

Net worth: $326 million

Age: 68

Country: United States

Bottom Line: George Strait

George Strait grew up on a cattle range near Big Wells, Texas. Raised by his father, Strait played in a garage band during high school but did not really start pursuing a music career until the mid-1970s, when he was in college and after he served in the United States Army for four years.

In college, Strait had a band but could not garner the attention of any major label. In 1981, he secured a deal with MCA Records and produced "Strait Country," which would become a hugely influential album that returned country music from pop influences to its twangy roots.

Known as "The King of Country," Strait has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and has 33 platinum records. He also has the most number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs.

14. Katy Perry

Net worth: $330 million

Age: 36

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Katy Perry

Katy Perry had a peripatetic childhood. Her devout, born-again Christian family moved around the country often, and they struggled financially. Perry developed her singing voice by singing in church.

Perry got her GED at the age of 15 and left for Nashville to pursue a music career. Her first album was a Christian record that released in 2001. It didn't sell well, and she transitioned out of the genre.

Perry's breakthrough album, "One of the Boys," dropped in 2008 and sold seven million copies worldwide. She has sold over 125 million singles worldwide.

13. Bruce Springsteen

Net worth: $345 million

Age: 71

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen grew up in a working-class family in Freehold, New Jersey. After seeing Elvis perform, Springsteen showed a desire for being a musician, and his mother bought him a Kent guitar for $60.

His teenage years were mostly spent playing guitar. He felt alienated at school and chose not to attend his graduation ceremony. Shortly thereafter, he was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War, but he intentionally acted erratically and was deemed unfit for military service.

The E Street Band formed in 1972. Springsteen and the E-Street Band released "Born to Run" in 1975, which became an incredible success. The classic album sold six million copies in the United States and is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time.

Springsteen has sold over 150 million records worldwide and has 20 Grammys, along with a smattering of other awards.

12. Beyoncé

Net worth: $350 million

Age: 39

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Beyoncé

Beyoncé grew up Houston, Texas. Her father was a Xerox sales manager, and her mother was a hairdresser.

At the age of 8, she, Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson were put in a six-girl group called Girl's Tyme and made the rounds on Houston's talent show circuit. Her father quit his job to manage Beyoncé's group (which did not include the other three girls) and, eventually, he secured the group a deal with Columbia Records in 1996. They switched their name to Destiny's Child.

Destiny's Child sold millions of records and became one of the most famous R&B groups in the entire world. Beyoncé emerged from that group as the superstar.

11. Shania Twain

Net worth: $350 million

Age: 55

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Shania Twain

Shania Twain did not have an easy childhood. Her family was so poor that they packed her lunches with mustard sandwiches, while her stepfather abused Twain and her mother.

Her family had her sing in bars when she was as young as 8 years old to help her family pay the bills. When she was 21, her mother and stepfather perished in a car crash, leaving Twain to raise her three younger siblings.

She went on to become one of the best-selling female artists of all time. Even though her career was sidelined for seven years due to Lyme disease, Twain's music is so enduring and popular that she has amassed a net worth of $350 million.

10. Toby Keith

Net worth: $360 million

Age: 59

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Toby Keith

Toby Keith grew up in Oklahoma and in Arkansas. As a child in Arkansas, he helped out at his grandmother's supper club, where he became interested in music. During high school and afterward, Keith worked in the oil fields and played in the Easy Money Band at local bars.

When the Oklahoma oil industry went bust in the early 1980s, Keith lost his job and ended up focusing on his music. In the early 1990s, he released a self-recorded demo tape with the band and tried to garner the interest of record labels in Nashville. While none showed any interest, miraculously, a flight attendant friend passed his demo tape on to a record executive.

The executive, the president of Polydor Nashville, liked what he heard and flew to Oklahoma City to hear Keith play. He was signed shortly thereafter, and his first single, "Should've Been a Cowboy," topped the charts.

9. Barbra Streisand

Net worth: $370 million

Age: 78

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand grew up in Brooklyn, New York City. Her father died when she was 1 year old, and her family was close to poverty. Streisand and her family moved in with her mother's grandparents.

Her mother remarried, but her stepfather was unaffectionate, if not emotionally abusive. Streisand showed promise with her singing voice, and she aspired to be an actress, but her mother was unsupportive, thinking she didn't have the looks to become a star.

Streisand sang at nightclubs before releasing "The Barbra Streisand Album" in 1964, which won her two Grammy Awards. She then transitioned into acting, starring in 1968's "Funny Girl," which won her an Academy Award for Best Actress at the age of 26.

8. Celine Dion

Net worth: $380 million

Age: 52

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Celine Dion

Celine Dion grew up in Quebec, Canada, and sang at a young age, first "performing" at a wedding at the age of 5.

Her brother, Jacques, helped write and compose her first song. It was apparently so good that Rene Angelil, her soon-to-be-manager and future husband, mortgaged his home to finance Dion's first album in 1981.

Dion has since sold over 250 million records worldwide.

7. Jennifer Lopez

Net worth: $400 million

Age: 51

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez grew up in the Bronx, New York City, to a working-class family. She had aspirations to be an actress and worked on musicals during the late 1980s as a dancer, eventually appearing as a Fly Girl on "In Living Color" in 1991.

Her big breaks came in the 1990s for her work in the campy horror film "Anaconda," giving a performance that earned her good reviews among credits.

She transitioned into singing in 1999 with the debut album "On the 6," which made her a pop star.

6. Johnny Mathis

Net worth: $400 million

Age: 85

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis grew up in San Francisco, California. He started his career young, playing on an upright piano that his father purchased for him when he was a child.

Mathis was an exceptional athlete and was given the offer to try out in high jump for the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team, but decided instead on pursuing his music career. Mathis moved to New York City and sang in clubs. He made a living off of his music but didn't hit the big time until appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1957.

Mathis has sold over 350 million records.

5. Victoria Beckham

Net worth: $450 million

Age: 46

Country: United Kingdom

Bottom Line: Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham made a splash on the international scene as Posh Spice with the Spice Girls, which is still the best-selling female group of all time. She married David Beckham, the biggest soccer star in the world, in 1999.

Beckham had a modestly successful solo career after the Spice Girls disbanded in 2001, then returned to the group when it reformed for five years from 2007 to 2012.

4. Gloria Estefan

Net worth: $500 million

Age: 63

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan was born in Havana, Cuba. Her family fled to the United States during the Cuban Revolution.

Estefan began her career in the mid-1970s, when she joined the Miami Latin Boys (which renamed itself Miami Sound Machine). The band had several hits, including "Conga," "Words Get in the Way" and "Bad Boy."

But Miami Sound Machine proved to be a vehicle for Estefan, who went on to sell 100 million records worldwide during her long career.

3. Dolly Parton

Net worth: $500 million

Age: 75

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Dolly Parton

Beloved country singer Dolly Parton was the fourth of 12 children, belonging to a family that lived in a log cabin near the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The family lacked indoor plumbing or electricity. The father was a sharecropper, and the family subsisted on anything they could catch.

"There were twelve of us kids. We never ate possum — I remember Daddy saying, 'That’s like a damn rat.' But we ate everything — turtle, frogs. I just remember the big old groundhogs — whistle pigs, they called them — and you'd cook 'em with sweet potatoes, and you'd have different ways of making some of that gamey taste go away," Parton told Rolling Stone.

Parton's biggest break came with the release of "Jolene" in 1973. She has sold over 100 million records worldwide.

2. Mariah Carey

Net worth: $535 million

Age: 50

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey's mother was an Irish-American who married a Black Venezuelan man. Because of this, her mother's family disowned her. While growing up in Long Island, New York, her neighbors poisoned the family dog and set fire to their car, all because of their race.

The couple divorced, though, and Carey did not see her father all that much. She occupied her time singing and took to the arts during high school, then moved to New York City and worked part-time jobs while attending beauty school. She also made a demo tape, which found its way into the head of Columbia Records, Tommy Mottola, in 1988.

He signed her, Columbia spent a boatload of cash promoting her debut album, and she was an overnight star. That album, "Mariah Carey," sold over 15 million copies.

These days, Carey doesn't have to work. Her most-played hit, "All I Want for Christmas Is You," has earned more than $60 million in royalties and brings in around $600,000 just from Spotify during the holiday season, according to CNN Business.

1. Madonna

Net worth: $580 million

Age: 62

Country: United States

Bottom Line: Madonna

Madonna grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. She lost her mother to breast cancer in 1963. She once described her younger self as a "lonely girl who was searching for something" who "wanted to be somebody."

Madonna went on to study dance at the University School of Music, Theatre and Dance in the 1970s. While there, she began to develop her now iconic sense of style, a mishmash of thrift, glamor and lace.

She performed in a couple of bands in New York City but went on to be a solo act. She first signed a singles deal in 1982 with Sire Records. "Like a Virgin" released in 1984, propelling her to international fame.

Madonna has sold over 335 million records and continues to release music to this day.