The top ten of the Sunday Times' annual poll of young music millionaires features just one male artist
BY REMMA KAUR | APR 23, 2010
If you believe the hype, girls have taken over the world of pop in recent years. 2010 is supposedly continuing the trend, with the likes of Florence & The Machine, La Roux and Pixie Lott just the latest female chart stars to make it big.
Well, there looks to be much more to this than sharp marketing and tabloid excitement. The annual Sunday Times Rich List has been announced and more than backs up such claims, with the top ten of music millionaires under 30 absolutely dominated by women.
Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins and Leona Lewis are in joint first place, followed by Cheryl Cole in fourth. She has seen her personal fortune sky-rocket from £4m last year to £10m in 2010, a spectacular rise of 150%. Elsewhere, the likes of Katie Melua, Joss Stone, Natasha Bedingfield and Lily Allen all feature, with Craig David the only male star anywhere to be seen.
The full top ten is as follows:
1= Charlotte Church (£11m)
1= Katherine Jenkins (£11m)
1= Leona Lewis (£11m)
4= Cheryl Cole (£10m)
4= Katie Melua (£10m)
6 Joss Stone (£9m)
7 Craig David (£8m)
8 Natasha Bedingfield (£6m)
9= Lily Allen (£5m)
9= Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts (£5m)
Cole's Girls Aloud band mates will be thrilled to make the list, even if they are now utterly dwarfed by her bank balance. Beneath them come Jamie Cullum, James Morrison and Paolo Nutini on £5m, the same as Amy Winehouse, whose own fortune has not dwindled despite her failure to release any new music since 2006.
In a separate list looking at music millionaires of any age, the top 10 features the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Paul McCartney, Simon Fuller, Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John. Simon Cowell is now valued at £165m, up 38%. Edgar Bronfman, Warner Music Group chairman, tops the 2010 survey, which is based on identifiable wealth and excludes bank accounts, with a fortune of £1.6bn.
Does the 2010 Rich List prove that girls are running British music? Or does it simply show they have all got far too much money? Have your say below...
