They're amongst the most famous and feted people in the world - with armies of fans following their every move and snapping up every merch drop and concert ticket.
The leading singers in the global music industry can earn millions of dollars from streaming revenue and selling vast numbers of vinyl, compact discs, and cassettes (apparently they’re back).
Whether you’re talking solo artists or frontmen and frontwomen of rock bands, singing songs is a serious business that directly and indirectly employs millions.
Add in money-spinning tours (flicking the switch on dynamic pricing to get an extra bob or two), advertising and sponsorship deals, shrewd investments, and £50 tshirts, and these glittering icons can become fabulously wealthy - doubly so if they also write their own material.
Here are the 28 richest singers in the world in 2025, according to CelebrityNetWorth.

9. Elton John - $650 million
The Rocketman may now be retired from live concerts after a final worldwide tour, but he won't have to worry about his state pension - having banked around around $650 million during a career where he's accomplished pretty much everything - from Oscars to Grammys and headlining Glastonbury. He's still releasing music, so that fortune could still grow larger. | Getty Images for Disney

10. Dolly Parton - $650 million
She famously once joked that "it cost me a lot of money to look this cheap", but country legend Dolly Parton can look as cheap as she likes with an estimated fortune of $650 million. | Getty Images

11. Beyoncé - $600 million
Beyoncé Knowles is worth an estimated $600 million, and with the success of Grammy-winning latest album Cowboy Carter that figure is only going to rise. First rising to fame as a member of Destiny's Child, she's taken the world of pop by storm ever since. She and Jay-Z are the world's wealthiest showbiz couple. | Getty Images for The Recording A

12. Julio Iglesias - $600 million
In what may be a surprise to some, Spain's Julio Iglesias is the 12th wealthiest male pop singer on the planet. He's sold more than 300 million albums over the years, which explains his earnings of around $600 million. | Getty Images
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