Born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Britney Spears started her career in entertainment when she was 8(!) years old, when she appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club. Spears was only 17 when she hit #1 on the U.S. pop music charts with her debut album, Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!… I Did It Again (2000). The young southern belle would soon become the driving force behind the return of teen pop, an would later be known as a world renown singer, songwriter and dancer.
Besides co-writing most of her own songs, in 2011 she wrote the song “Whiplash” for Selena Gomez & the Scene, from their third studio album When the Sun Goes Down. As far as her wealth Spears has 33 million certified albums which sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) data, she ranks as the 8th top-selling female artist in the United States. She also has lucrative high-profile endorsement deals including Elizabeth Arden and Candies.
$400 million
In the 1980's, Celine Dion was a teen star releasing multiple french-language albums. She knew there had to be more - it was then that she learned to speak English. After learning English, she was signed by Epic Records in the United States. She released her debut album in English, Unison, which was able to establish her as a pop artist in the US and other English-speaking countries.
Her music has been influenced by rock, R&B and everything in between. Her recordings, though mainly in French and English - also include Spanish, Italian, German, and a multitude of other languages. Her releases often receive mixed reviews - however, she is still known as one of pop music's most influential voices. She has also won five Grammy Awards.
$80 Million
Neil Young is another Canadian singer-songwriter on our list. He achieved commercial and critical success both as a solo artist and with his two bands, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.
In a career that has spanned for over 40 years and 40 studio albums, in Young fashion, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice!
$400 Million
Barbara "Barbra" Streisand is among the most iconic women figures in the music and film industry. In a career spanning 6 decades, she has been honored with accolades and awards in multiple fields of entertainment, including 9 Golden Globes, 2 Academy Awards, 10 Grammy Awards (two of them include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grammy Legend Award), 5 Emmy Awards, 4 Peabody Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Kennedy Center Honors prize, and was even presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama. Streisand is also among the small group of artists who have scored an EGOT: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award, and is only one of two entertainers who have also won a Peabody. Needless to say, she is nothing short of a legend.
As far has her music career, she's sold more than 68.5 million albums in the U.S. and a total of 150 million albums and singles sold worldwide, some of which she has co-writing credits. She is among top-selling female artists recognized by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The RIAA and Billboard recognize Streisand as holding the record for the most top 10 albums of any female recording artist. And if that wasn't enough, Streisand is the only recording artist to have a number-one album in each of the 6 decades of her career, having released 53 gold albums, 31 platinum albums, and 14 multi-platinum albums in the U.S..
$355 million
Beyoncé Knowles did not gain her success overnight. She grew up in Texas where she lived with her parents. She was a student at a Performing Arts School, where she worked on her voice and other talents. It was there that she formed the beginnings of her girl group.
She rose to fame in the 1990s as lead singer of the ever popular R&B girl-group Destiny's Child. They were managed by her father, Mathew Knowles, and despite the fact that he did not have a career in music, the girls became one of the best-selling groups in history. Throughout her expansive career, Beyoncé has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. She currently has 22 Grammy Awards and holds the record for the most nominations received by a woman in the history of the award.