Rihanna could become 'first musician to reach billionaire status in UK'

RIHANNA HAS been named on the Sunday Times Rich List for the first time and is poised to become the ‘first musician to reach billionaire status in the UK’.

The star’s estimated £468m fortune has secured her the third place in the newspaper’s list of Britain’s richest musicians, beating the likes of Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger.

The Barbados-born singer, who has not released an album since Anti in 2016, has qualified for inclusion in the list following her move to London.

Rihanna’s groundbreaking makeup brand, Fenty Beauty, which launched in 2017, has contributed considerably to her wealth in recent years.

Her stake in the company, which is the product of a partnership with the French luxury conglomerate, LVMH, is worth a reported £351m.

Top row left to right: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Paul McCartney, Rihanna and Sir Elton John. Middle row left to right: Sir Mick Jagger, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, Keith Richards and Sir Ringo Starr. Bottom row left to right: Michael Flatley, Ed Sheera, Sir Rod Stewart and Sting

The 32-year-old has also ventured into the fashion industry with her lingerie line Savage X Fenty and luxury brand Fenty.

Billionaire status

Robert Watts, who compiles The Sunday Times Rich List, told the BBC: “She somewhat caught us by surprise.

“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.”

Her inclusion in the Sunday Times’ list is a sign of the changing times, said Watts.

“If you look through the yellowing pages of the first list in 1989, it looks like a rogues’ gallery of middle-aged and elderly white men. It was earls, dukes and figures from manufacturing and finance,” The Guardian reported Watts said. “Now money is being made in different ways, and by all sorts of different people – like Rihanna.”

She is one of the youngest musicians in the top 40, which includes 29-year-old Ed Sheeran, who came in at number 10 with a £200m fortune, and 32-year-old Adele, who is estimated to be worth £150m.

While Rihanna is number three in the list of the UK’s rich, her wealth has made her the richest female musician in the world.

Top 10 richest musicians in Britain

1= Lord Lloyd Webber (£800m, down £20m)
1= Sir Paul McCartney (£800m, up £50m)
3 Rihanna (£468m, new entry)
4 Sir Elton John (£360m, up £40m)
5 Sir Mick Jagger (£285m, up £10m)
6 = Olivia and Dhani Harrison (£270m, up £20m)
6 = Keith Richards (£270m, up £10m)
8 Sir Ringo Star (£260m, up £20m)
9 Michael Flatley (£206m, up £2m)
10 = Ed Sheeran (£200 million, up £40 million)
10 = Sir Rod Stewart (£200 million, up £10 million)
10 = Sting (£200 million, no change)