Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Lindsey Buckingham
Artists “We really have no business being in a band together”: Lindsey Buckingham on Fleetwood Mac’s weird dynamic
Angus Young, live onstage at the Los Angeles Colisseum in 1984
Artists “The sound of his guitar has got that hard edge to it. It’s not clean – it’s nasty!”: Angus Young's guitar heroes
Bonnie Tyler
Artists “It’s a perfect song. Bonnie really conveys the drama”: How a classic power ballad was created
Singer Stevie Nicks poses for a portrait in circa 1974.
Singles And Albums “I was like, "I'm not happy. I am tired”: How being alone in snowy Aspen inspired Fleetwood Mac’s sleeper hit
Neil Finn
Artists “I played it with the band and it sounded like a bag of…”: How Neil Finn created Crowded House's classic hit
Stevie Nicks
Artists “There’s something to that song that touches people”: The Fleetwood Mac classic that Stevie Nicks wrote in 10 minutes!
Kurt Cobain
Music Industry Science indicates that musicians do actually die younger - but why?
Foreigner
Artists “Lou fixated on her and his vocal was done in one take”: How Foreigner and producer Mutt Lange created a classic hit
Beatles
Artists “It was stunning how good The Beatles were live”: Aerosmith’s Joe Perry on The Beatles and the Stones
Harry Styles performs on stage during The BRIT Awards 2023 at The O2 Arena on February 11
Singers & Songwriters "It's unaffordable for 99 percent of people”: Fans call out Harry Styles for ‘insane’ ticket prices
Phil Spector in 2007
Bands "He wore a different wig every day”: Starsailor singer James Walsh on working with Phil Spector
Harry Styles arrives at Valentino Pavillon des Folies Show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on September 29, 2024
Singers & Songwriters You're Working For No-One But Me: Harry Styles is the UK pop’s biggest contributor to the taxman
Joey Tempest
Artists “I took inspiration from Iron Maiden. And for the lyric, David Bowie’s Space Oddity”: A rock band’s global No.1 hit
Iron Maiden in 1981
Artists “I said, ‘Before we start, you know that if I audition I’ll get the gig’”: When Bruce Dickinson joined Iron Maiden
The Knack
Artists “It was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. I fell in love with her instantly. And it sparked something”
More
  • NAMM 2026: as it happened
  • Best NAMM tech gear
  • Joni's Woodstock
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Artists
  2. Singers & Songwriters

The 20 richest lead singers in the world

News
By Rob Power published 10 September 2012

They strut, they scream - and they coin it in

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

20 Richest Lead Singers

20 Richest Lead Singers

Every band needs a singer. At the very least they need to be able to hold a tune in a bucket, but the very best can whip a crowd up into a frenzy and look good doing it. While the rest of the band toils away behind them, putting in the hard yards required to bring both the rock and the roll, the singer is at the front taking all the glory and, as it turns out, all the cash.

According to the folks at Celebrity Networth, these are the singers that have amassed the greatest fortunes on the back of good looks, a decent voice and hips that don't lie. The calculations that follow are based on publicly available information (including sources such as Forbes and The Sunday Times) and include salaries and real estate holdings. The final totals include deductions for taxes, manager and agent fees, and lifestyle.

It's almost enough to make you want to step behind the mic yourself...

Page 1 of 21
Page 1 of 21
Sammy Hagar (Van Halen)

Sammy Hagar (Van Halen)

Page 2 of 21
Page 2 of 21
Anthony Keidis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Anthony Keidis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Page 3 of 21
Page 3 of 21
Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

Page 4 of 21
Page 4 of 21
David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

Page 5 of 21
Page 5 of 21
Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)

Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)

Page 6 of 21
Page 6 of 21
Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses)

Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses)

Page 7 of 21
Page 7 of 21
James Hetfield (Metallica)

James Hetfield (Metallica)

Page 8 of 21
Page 8 of 21
Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Page 9 of 21
Page 9 of 21
David Bowie

David Bowie

Page 10 of 21
Page 10 of 21
Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart

Page 11 of 21
Page 11 of 21
Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)

Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)

Page 12 of 21
Page 12 of 21
Prince

Prince

Page 13 of 21
Page 13 of 21
Dave Matthews (Dave Matthews Band)

Dave Matthews (Dave Matthews Band)

Page 14 of 21
Page 14 of 21
Phil Collins

Phil Collins

Page 15 of 21
Page 15 of 21
Sting (The Police)

Sting (The Police)

Page 16 of 21
Page 16 of 21
Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)

Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)

Page 17 of 21
Page 17 of 21
Elton John

Elton John

Page 18 of 21
Page 18 of 21
Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett

Page 19 of 21
Page 19 of 21
Bono (U2)

Bono (U2)

Page 20 of 21
Page 20 of 21
Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Page 21 of 21
Page 21 of 21
Rob Power
Read more
A double exposure horror edit. Of a hooded ghost like figure in a graveyard on an eerie foggy night
"It operates to isolate the individual": New study shows fame knocks four years off stars' lives
 
 
Harry Styles arrives at Valentino Pavillon des Folies Show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on September 29, 2024
You're Working For No-One But Me: Harry Styles is the UK pop’s biggest contributor to the taxman
 
 
Beyoncé fans attend the Cowboy Carter Tour
Who run the world? Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter is highest grossing solo tour of the year
 
 
Money
“They represent rent paid, instruments bought and careers sustained”: PRS has distributed nearly £275 million in 2025
 
 
Foreigner in 1982
“The greatest rock ballad of all time!”: The classic song that held the No.2 spot for 10 weeks without ever hitting No.1
 
 
Charli XCX shared her new remix album with a few hundred fans at a special event at Storm King Oct. 10
"A pivotal moment for the UK music industry": UK music generated a record £8bn for the economy in 2024, but challenges from AI and Brexit remain
 
 
Latest in Singers & Songwriters
Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac performs on stage at The Hydro on October 3, 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland
“I’d have to smoke a big joint to be able to listen to it!”: Fleetwood Mac star Lindsey Buckingham's unusual solo albums
 
 
Meryl Streep, Joni Mitchell, composite image
Meryl Streep to star in long-time coming Joni Mitchell biopic
 
 
Anderson .Paak and Mac Miller
Anderson .Paak on how the death of a music legend inspired Dang!, a 2016 pop-rap masterpiece
 
 
Timothée Chalamet performs "Outlaw Blues/Three Angels" on Saturday Night Live, January 25, 2025
Timothée Chalamet says that he had to self-fund his Bob Dylan musical performances on Saturday Night Live
 
 
Neil Diamond in 2008
“I heard things he did with Johnny Cash. I was impressed”: How Neil Diamond scored his first No.1 album with Rick Rubin
 
 
Harry Styles arrives at Valentino Pavillon des Folies Show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on September 29, 2024
You're Working For No-One But Me: Harry Styles is the UK pop’s biggest contributor to the taxman
 
 
Latest in News
Alex Honnold
Alex Honnold reveals just how much Tool he listened to during his free climb of the Taipei 101 skyscraper
 
 
Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir performs at Tons Of Rock 2025
Dimmu Borgir’s Silenoz on playing a guitar inspired by a shark – and why you can be black metal and still love the blues
 
 
Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers performs on stage at The Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London, United Kingdom, January 30th 1977
"They did a beautiful job": How The Repair Shop restored The Stranglers’ vintage keyboard
 
 
will.i.am attends the 68th GRAMMY Awards
“Robots will be here on the red carpet before 2030”: Will-i-am predicts Grammys will soon be given to AI
 
 
Leo Woodall in Tuner
“I’m just a piano tuner, man”: Could Tuner be the audiology thriller we never knew we needed?
 
 
Mark Ronson on June 13, 2019
"His creative influence spans every corner of contemporary culture”: Mark Ronson to receive Brits Outstanding Contribution award
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...