Female Artists Lead The Way On Forbes Latest Rich List

Forbes has released their latest list of well-to-do celebrity folk, except this time we’re shouting words of delight at the female-only hit list.?Taylor Swift has been announced as the Forbes highest paid female musician of 2016; earning double-digit millions in the past year alone and knocking Kate Perry off of the top spot in doing so.

While her music career continues to flourish, Swift’s personal life took a controversial twist this year with tabloids cashing in on the performer’s volatile relationship between Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston (not that we should even care).?Katie Perry, who earned an income exceeding $135 million last year (making her the highest paid of 2015), fell to 6th place on this year’s list. Maybe next year, Perry. Here are the top five musical female earners of 2016:

5. Coming in at number 5 on the list is Beyonc? who, through groundbreaking record sales for her visual album ‘Lemonade’, tallied an income of over $54 million. The recently wrapped Formation World Tour grossed Beyonc? over $250 million.

4. At 4 is Rihanna at $75 million. The Barbados beauty has flexed more than just her music muscles this year dipping her toes into fashion’design?with some of the industries biggest names getting behind her; all of which helped her climb the ranks of highest earners.

3. Madonna comes in at number 3 with $76.5 million, but it’s estimated (through touring and endorsements) that she earned $1.4 billion before tax and has a net worth at around $560 million.

2. Adele ranks second earning a massive $80.5 million for record sales and shows. As well as that, Adele has been earning literally million’s per arena tour; making this year the biggest and best in her career so far.

1. Earning a staggering $170 million,?Taylor Swift is well above the race. Not only did her 1989 tour help her to lead the way (taking in more than $200 million), but ?heavy endorsements with Keds, Diet Coke, and Apple ensured sweet success this year.

While these figures are staggeringly high, a large gender gap still exists within the music industry. In a list of wealthiest musicians of 2015, Forbes recorded only four females out of a group of 30 musicians as being top earners. So while women are surely beginning to dominate in industries where we hadn’t before,?we still have a lot more work to do to close the gender gap.