Beyoncé officially becomes a billionaire
The superstar has joined four other musicians on one of the industry’s most exclusive lists, following the success of her Cowboy Carter tour
By Jennifer Hassan
December 31, 2025 — 9.22am
Beyoncé is officially a billionaire, according to Forbes, making her the third female musician in history to cross the threshold.
She becomes the fifth musician in the magazine’s billionaire club, joining Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen and her husband, Jay-Z.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour grossed more than $597 million in ticket sales, according to trade publication Pollstar.Credit: AP
Forbes said the release of the star’s 2024 album, Cowboy Carter, and her accompanying tour – which was the world’s highest grossing of 2025 – fuelled her 10-figure fortune, along with a sprawling business empire, music catalogue and new commercial opportunities from the genre-shifting record.
The Cowboy Carter Tour grossed more than $US400 ($A597) million in ticket sales, according to trade publication Pollstar. Forbes estimated she made $US50 million from merchandise sold at the shows.
The star’s 2023 Renaissance World Tour grossed more than $US579 million and her 2016 Formation World Tour more than $US320 million, The Washington Post reported.
In December 2024, Beyoncé performed live during halftime at Netflix’s first Christmas Day NFL game, earning her an estimated $US50 million, Forbes said, noting that she also capitalised on the country album’s aesthetic to bring in $US10 million through Levi’s commercials.
“When you get to this point in your career, you don’t have to go sign with someone else ... you do it yourself.”
Beyoncé
Forbes estimated that Beyoncé earned $US148 million this year before taxes – making her the third-highest-paid musician in the world.
The magazine also cited her company, Parkwood Entertainment, as a key to her financial success. The business produces her music, documentaries and concerts, giving the star in-house control over her empire. She stopped being managed by her father in 2010.
“When you get to this point in your career, you don’t have to go sign with someone else and share your money and your success – you do it yourself,” she said in 2013 at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
It’s been quite a year for the star, who won the album of the year Grammy for Cowboy Carter in February after four unsuccessful bids for the top prize and picked up the award for best country album.
Taylor Swift presents the award for best country album to Beyoncé at the Grammys.Credit: Chris Pizzello
Ahead of the record’s release in March 2024, Beyoncé debuted two country-infused songs, becoming the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Cowboy Carter is an ode to Black Americans’ contributions to country music and was a hit with fans, who often donned cowboy hats and boots as they supported the Houston native. She has long celebrated her country roots despite ongoing scrutiny from some in the industry, who say she does not belong in the genre, and fierce debate over what truly defines country music.
Beyoncé was shut out of the 2024 Country Music Association Awards nominations despite being one of the year’s biggest industry stories.
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” the star wrote in an Instagram post last year, seemingly citing the backlash she received in 2016, when CMA viewers slammed her performance of her country song Daddy Lessons.
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The star said that it took more than five years to create the album and that it stemmed from a time when it was “very clear” she was not welcome. “Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she wrote.
“My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant,” she added.