Enya beats Adele as Britain’s richest female musician

Reclusive Irish singer-songwriter Enya has beaten Adele, the hottest female singer at the moment, as the richest female British musician. She now has a personal fortune of £91 million (A$171.5 million), according to the latest The Sunday Times Rich List. Since 1987, the 54-year old Enya has released 75 million units from eight album releases.

However Adele would be England’s wealthiest female musician with a bank account bulging at £85 million ($160.2 million). Her spectacular comeback with the 25 album has given her a £35 million ($$66 million) boost.

It puts her at #30 in the Top 50 music millionaires in the UK. She was #43 last year.

At 27, Adele also tops The Sunday Times’ list of wealthiest UK musicians aged under 30.

Enya has a wide demographic, extending into New Age, religious and yoga lifestyles. She’s sung in ten languages including Latin and Gaelic. She does not tour, and takes long breaks between album releases.

Like Adele, she released a comeback album last year, Dark Sky Island, which peaked at #4 in the UK – her highest charting record since 1991.

Speaking about her career last year, she said: “I’ve been told I have a cross-generational appeal and that people who used to like Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) are now playing my music to their children. I’ve been very lucky.”

Ian Coxon, long time editor of The Sunday Times Rich Lists, commented that Enya remains the biggest selling British female musician because “She’s consistent with her wealth… we’re looking at wealth going over a number of years.”

However Coxon suggests that Adele will continue to amass a fortune that will leave musician lists behind. “Adele is only 27 so I would see her getting in the main list of the richest 1,000 in a couple of years – she is only £15m-£20 million ($28.2 million to $37.7 million) away now.”

Adele’s 25 set new sales records when it surfaced in November 2015. In Australia it sold over 210,000 copies in its first five days, clocking up triple platinum status. In New Zealand, it broke the record for highest first week sales with 18,766 units.

In the same period, 25 sailed past the 2.5 million mark in North America. Its UK first week sales of 800,307 overtook Oasis’ Be Here Now (1997) to become the fastest-selling album of all time there.

By January, its global sales were put at 15 million. Eight million of those were in the United States.

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney topped the musicians list with an estimated £760 million ($1.34 billion) fortune – boosted by his American heiress wife Nancy Shevell’s £150 million ($282.8 million) stake in her family’s US trucking business.

The Sunday Times’ Music Rich List Top 20:

1. Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell £760m
2. Lord Lloyd-Webber £715m ($1.34b)
3. U2 £500m ($942.5m)
4. Sir Elton John £280m ($527.8)
5. Sir Mick Jagger £235m ($443.7m)
6. Olivia and Dhani Harrison £220m ($414.7m)
7. Keith Richards £220m
8. Ringo Starr £200m ($377m)
9. Michael Flatley £198m ($373.2m)
10. Sting £185m ($348.7m)
11. Eric Clapton £160m ($301.6m)
12. Rod Stewart £160m
13. Roger Waters £160m
14. Sir Tom Jones £155m ($292.2m)
15. Sir Tim Rice £150m ($282.7m)
16. Robbie Williams £145m ($273.3m)
17. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne £135m ($254.5m)
18. Brian May £120m ($228.2m)
19. Charlie Watts £120m
20. Roger Taylor £115 million ($216.8m)

New additions to the list are former Beatle George Harrison’s widow Olivia and their son Dhani, in sixth position with a combined family fortune of £220 million ($414.7 million).

David Bowie’s widow Iman Abdulmajid, and his son Duncan Jones (from his first marriage to Angie), are also new with a joint family fortune of £90 million ($169.7 million) – made up of the money they already made through their respective work as model and film maker as well as the £70 million ($132 million) left to them in Bowie’s will.

Ed Sheeran, who’s been in the Under 30s list previously, enters the Top 50 list for the first time, with a fortune of £45 million ($84.8 million) placing him at #49.

Kylie Minogue, the only Australian on the list, was listed at #42 with a fortune of £55 million ($103.7 million).

DJ Calvin Harris has more than tripled his wealth since he first got on the list in 2014 with £30 million ($56.5 million). Now he’s worth £95 million ($179.1 million) putting him at #27.

Top 10 young rich people in the UK

1. Tom Persson – £672m ($1.2b)
2. Fawn and India Rose James – £482m (908.9m)
3. Thomas Mackie and Family – £380m ($716.5m)
4. Tim and Pollyanna Gredley and Family – £380m
5. Pete Cashmore – £170m ($320.5m)
6. Wayne and Coleen Rooney – £96m ($181m)
7. Adele – £85m ($160.2m)
8. Daniel Radcliffe – £74m ($139.5m)
9. Chris Phillips – £70m ($131.9m)
10. Robert Pattinson – £65m ($127.5m)