Beyoncé has been crowned Forbes’ most powerful celebrity, overtaking Oprah Winfrey who previously held the impressive accolade.
In a list that takes earnings, social media presence and how many times each celebrity was mentioned in print, on TV and on the radio between June 2013 and June 2014 into consideration, Beyoncé Knowles has beaten the likes of Dr. Dre, Floyd Mayweather, Rhianna and her husband Jay-Z to the top spot of an exceptionally wealthy bunch of celebs.
Having played 95 shows, each one bringing in an average $2.4 million, the singer earns a cool $115 million a year. Her album, simply titled Beyoncé, was released with barely any publicity and was billed as a ‘visual album’ - a concept that yielded a music video for each one of the 14 tracks – the highlight being ‘Drunk In Love’ which sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
Not content with topping the music charts, Beyoncé’s entrepreneurial nous has enabled her to build a small business empire. Having earned millions through endorsing world-renowned brands such as H&M, Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Emporio Armani and more, not to mention her own line of fragrances and designer apparel, it’s no surprise the ex-Destiny’s Child star is rolling in it.
Further increasing their household earnings, Jay-Z, Beyoncé’s other half, sits in a respectable sixth place on the list with an estimated $60 million in earnings from record sales, live shows, a nightclub chain and more.
Also deserving a special mention is the rap superstar Dr. Dre (pictured above) who, in the past 12 months, has earned more than anyone in the history of the Celebrity top 100 thanks to Apple’s purchase of his Beats by Dre franchise for $3 billion. In total, from June 2013 to June 2014, Dr. Dre has earned an astonishing… wait for it… $620 million! Not bad, eh?