According to Forbes’ 2025 ranking of the world’s highest-paid musicians, American artists dominate the list, taking 16 of the 25 spots and earning a combined $1.086 billion.
Yet the year’s highest-paid musician came from outside the United States.
The ranking also shows how concentrated music’s biggest earnings are geographically.
Beyond the U.S. and U.K., only five artists made the top 25: Canada’s The Weeknd and Drake, Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny, Colombia’s Shakira, and Italy’s Andrea Bocelli.
Shakira stands out as the only South American artist on the list. The Colombian singer earned an estimated $105 million, tying Coldplay for fifth place and finishing ahead of every British act in the ranking.
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Ranked Forbes’ Highest-Paid Musicians
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Rank | Name | Earnings ($M ) | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 1 | The Weeknd | 298 | Canadian |
| 2 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 2 | Taylor Swift | 202 | American |
| 3 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 3 | Beyoncé | 148 | American |
| 4 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 4 | Kendrick Lamar | 109 | American |
| 5 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 5 | Coldplay | 105 | British |
| 6 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 5 | Shakira | 105 | Colombian |
| 7 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 7 | Drake | 78 | Canadian |
| 8 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 8 | Chris Brown | 74 | American |
| 9 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 9 | Zach Bryan | 70 | American |
| 10 | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | Patience | 06/10/2026 02:47 PM | 10 | Bad Bunny | 66 | Puerto Rican |
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