Katy Perry may not have dominated headlines or album sales like Taylor Swift, but she triumphed by becoming this year’s highest-paid woman in music, as reported by Forbes. At 31 years old, Perry raked in $135 million within the last year, largely due to her successful Prismatic tour and lucrative partnerships with beauty brands such as Coty and CoverGirl. Forbes released the ranking on Wednesday, showcasing Perry’s impressive financial success in the music industry.
Katy Perry has achieved a major milestone by topping the Forbes list as the highest-earning woman in the music industry, leaving behind her competitor Taylor Swift who secured the second spot. Katy was recently spotted at a charity concert in New York, while Taylor was seen in Miami during a stop on her global tour last month.
Despite Taylor’s successful album “1989” selling around 8.6 million copies worldwide and starting a world tour, she came in second place with an estimated $80 million in earnings. On the other hand, Katy’s album “Prism” has sold approximately four million copies since its release in 2013, and she has been busy touring throughout the year.
The rivalry between the two pop divas has been well-documented over the past year, and this latest ranking will surely add fuel to the fire.
Casual and carefree: Thanks to her deal with Covergirl, the 31-year-old superstar landed at the number one spot, reportedly earning a whopping $135 million.
Back on the road: Perry raked in a substantial amount of money from her concerts, traveling across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Recently, she was seen performing in New York. Last year, Swift’s album raised a few eyebrows with the popular single Bad Blood, leading many to believe it was about Perry. In a recent GQ cover story, Swift addressed the rumors, stating she never directly accused anyone and can rest easy at night. In a Rolling Stone interview from September 2014, Taylor mentioned that her song was inspired by a former friendship with another female artist that had ended.
Autograph liberation: The famous 25-year-old artist behind Shake It Off had a whopping 8.6 million copies sold worldwide for her hit album 1989, earning her an estimated $80 million in the process.
Taking the spotlight: Swift spent the majority of the year entertaining crowds with her performances, wrapping up the US leg of her The 1989 World Tour on Halloween. She is now preparing for upcoming shows in Asia and Oceania to close out the year.
While she chose not to identify her adversary, Calvin Harris’ partner openly discussed how her frenemy went too far. “She did something incredibly awful that made me realize we’re just outright enemies. And it had nothing to do with a guy,” Taylor revealed in the interview.
“She basically attempted to ruin an entire arena tour by poaching a bunch of my team members. Now, I have to steer clear of her,” she added.
Formerly friends: The two iconic pop stars – seen together at the American Music Awards in November 2011 – have had a well-known feud that started with rumors that Taylor’s song “Bad Blood” was directed towards Katy. Around the same time, Katy allegedly attempted to recruit some backup dancers who were still under contract with Taylor for her Prismatic world tour.
According to a source, the dancers provided Taylor with a 30-day notice so they could join Katy. Another interesting connection between Katy and Taylor is their relationship with John Mayer. Although both singers have dated John, Taylor was the first in 2010, while Katy has had an on-and-off relationship with him since 2012.
Fleetwood Mac, a British-American rock band, secured the third spot with $59.5 million in earnings, despite only having two women in its current five-member lineup.
Don’t think of it as a comeback: Fleetwood Mac came in third place with $59.5 million in earnings, despite only two of its five current members being women. The return of Stevie Nicks and Christine McVeigh from the 1970s was seen as crucial to the success of the band’s year-long tour, according to Forbes. Lady Gaga snagged the fourth spot with $59 million, a far cry from her peak of $90 million in 2011 when she was known for her attention-grabbing antics and outfits. Last year’s highest earner, Beyonce, fell to fifth place with an estimated $54.5 million. The Forbes list calculates estimated pre-tax income from June 2014 to June 2015, including earnings from music, tours, endorsements, and other business deals.
Lady Gaga is still making a fortune, coming in fourth place on the list with a grand total of $59 million, while Beyonce isn’t too far behind in fifth place, raking in approximately $54.5 million.