Highest Paid Woman Musician

Katy Perry edges out former foe Taylor Swift to top Forbes' highest-paid women in music list

 Raechal Leone Shewfelt 
Katy Perry performs at Birmingham Arena on June 18, 2018, in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Now that they’re friends, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift will want to pop the champagne together for this one.

The just-released Forbes list of the year’s highest-paid women in music features both artists.


Perry raked in $83 million, before taxes — largely because of “Witness: The Tour” and her work as a judge on the rebooted American Idol — between June 1, 2017, and June 1, 2018, according to the magazine. Swift pulled in a close second, at $80 million, and Forbes noted that the only reason she didn’t snag the list’s top spot is that most of the dates for her “Reputation Stadium Tour” were too late to count toward her income this year. The tour started May 8.

That said, Swift could have a good shot at leading the list in 2019, as Perry plans to take a break from music, her new holiday song notwithstanding. “I’ve been on the road for like 10 years, so I’m just going to chill,” Perry told Footwear News last month while promoting her shoe brand. “I’m not going to go straight into making another record. I feel like I’ve done a lot. I feel like I’ve rung the bell of being a pop star very loudly, and I’m very grateful for that.”

For the last few years, the idea of Perry and Swift hanging out together for fun would be unthinkable, with them trading thinly veiled barbs in song lyrics and interviews. But they made up in May after Perry sent Swift a wreath made of olive branches, and are evidently still on good terms. Perry commended Swift just last month for making a rare political statement.


Taylor Swift and Katy Perry attend a Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 7, 2009, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo: Larry Busacca/WireImage)

The rest of the year’s highest-paid women in music include Beyoncé ($60 million); Pink ($52 million); Lady Gaga ($50 million); Jennifer Lopez ($47 million); Rihanna ($37.5 million); Helene Fischer ($32 million); Celine Dion ($31 million); and Britney Spears ($30 million).

The 2017 edition of the same list featured many of the same women in different places. Perry, for example, came in ninth, with earnings of $33 million, while Swift was third with $44 million. Both Adele ($69 million) and Beyoncé, who at a hefty $105 million claimed the No. 1 spot, commanded higher paychecks.

Swift ranked first in 2016, with a staggering $170 million income, according to the magazine. Perry was No. 6, bringing in $41 million.

But Perry’s $135 million in 2015 was enough for that year’s top position. Swift came in second, trailing with $80 million.

Both Perry and Swift can easily afford the best bottle of bubbly, so the only question is who’s going to pick up the check.