London – Rihanna has made her debut appearance on The Sunday Times Rich List, with an estimated fortune of £468 million.
The Bajan pop star, who now resides in London, overtakes Sirs Elton John and Mick Jagger to claim third place on the list of Britain’s richest musicians.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Paul McCartney are joint first on the list with fortunes of £800m apiece.
Rihanna’s earnings are largely due to the Fenty Beauty cosmetics brand, where her reported 15 per cent stake is worth £351m.
“She somewhat caught us by surprise,” says Robert Watts, who compiles The Sunday Times’ annual list.
“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,” he tells the BBC.
Coronavirus impact
Rihanna, who turned 32 in February, is a youthful exception amongst Britain’s richest musicians, most of whom found fame in the 1960s and 70s.
Amongst the top 40 highest-earners, only Ed Sheeran and Adele are younger, with fortunes of £200m and £150m respectively.
Further down the list, there are new entries for the next generation of pop stars, with Dua Lipa, 24, and George Ezra, 26, each said to be worth £16m.
Theatre impresario Lord Lloyd-Webber, 72, is the only star on the list to see his valuation fall, with Watts calculating that the Covid-19 shutdown of theatres in the West End and Broadway has already wiped £20m off his fortune.
Sir Paul, by contrast, receives a £50m boost to his finances, thanks to a lucrative world tour and his first children’s book Hey Grandude!, which topped the New York Times’ best-seller list last year.
Sir Elton’s farewell tour also added £40m to his fortune, putting him in fourth place; while Rolling Stone Sir Mick comes fifth with £285m.
Ed Sheeran topped the young musicians (aged 30 or under) list, adding £40m to his overall wealth after completing a 255-date world tour last August. Harry Styles took second place, with a fortune of £63m. (BBC)
