If you think you’re still too young to make money, think again. Forbes Magazine‘s list of the Highest Paid Celebrities Under 30 shows that age is not a factor when it comes to earning money.
But then again, it helps that you are a global celebrity. The list below shows the Top 10 actors, actresses, singers and showbiz personalities who have earned the most last year.
In the 2012 Highest Paid Celebrities Under 30 list, singer Taylor Swift is on top with more than $57 million earnings, followed by pop star Justin Bieber, then singer Rihanna.
This year, flamboyant singer Lady Gaga is leading the pack, earning an estimated $80 million between June 2012 and June 2013. She would have amassed $200 million if not for an injury that stalled her world tour.
Controversial Canadian teen sensation Justin Bieber, who has been in the news recently for spitting on people and peeing on a janitor’s bucket, shows that he can turn bad publicity into good money. He is second in the list with an estimated gross earnings of $58 million last year.
A close third is singer-songwriter Taylor Swift whose Red album sold 1.2 million copies during the first week alone. Her songs have consistently landed in the Billboard Top 100 and her endorsement deals with Diet Coke, Sony and Covergirl, among others, have raked in an estimated $55 million last year.
According to Forbes, the list was compiled by considering “album and concert sales, movie paydays, profit participation, endorsements and advertising work” from June 2012 until June 2013. Only gross income was considered; agent fees and other expenses, such as taxes, were not deducted.
Read on to see the Top 10 highest paid celebrities under the age of 30.
(2013) Top 10 Highest Paid Stars Under the Age of 30
#1. Lady Gaga
- 1-Year Pay: $80 million
- Age: 27
Lady Gaga would have earned even more had it not been for a hip injury that shortened her Born This Way Ball Tour. She underwent surgery and rested for a while but if she was able to finish the tour, she would have earned $200 million. She ranks 2nd in Forbes Celebrity 100 list, next only to popular TV host Oprah. But in the list of the Top Paid Celebrities Under 30, she ranks number one.
#2. Justin Bieber
- 1-Year Pay: $58 million
- Age: 19
Bad publicity is still publicity, and that’s enough to continue making money for teen sensation Justin Bieber. He has recently been slammed for photos of him spitting on people and peeing on a janitor’s bucket, but that did not deter fans from from following him on Twitter. The number of his Twitter fans has now ballooned to 42 million, making him the most followed person on the micro-blogging site. Last year, the Canadian singer earned another $58 million, thanks to sales of albums, concert tours, and investments in startups including Enflick, Tinychat and Spotify.
#3. Taylor Swift
- 1-Year Pay: $53 million
- Age: 24
The music industry may be in trouble due to declining album sales and growing music piracy, but Taylor Swift does not seem to be affected by it. Her fourth studio album, Red, released in October 2012 sold 1.2 million copies during the first week alone. The album’s first single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” peaked at Number 1 in the Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. She has also signed endorsement deals with Diet Coke, Sony and Covergirl, earning her more money totaling $53 million in gross income last year.
#4. Calvin Harris
- 1-Year Pay: $46 million
- Age: 29
Harris was discovered on the social networking site Myspace eight year ago, starting as a singer-songwriter, but has now morphed into a world-renowned DJ and producer. While the majority of his money comes from performing, he also earns from writing and producing songs. He wrote and produced several records for other singers including Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Dizzee Rascal, Cheryl Cole, Example and Rihanna. “We Found Love”, his recent collaboration with Rihanna (who is No. 5 in the list), won the Video of the Year in the 2013 MTV Music Awards. His song collaboration with Ne-Yo, “Let’ Go”, meanwhile, was commissioned by Pepsi in its global advertising campaign in 2012.
#5. Rihanna
- 1-Year Pay: $43 million
- Age: 28
The Barbados-born singer continues to rake in money, playing over 40 shows during in the past year and releasing the new album Unapologetic, her seventh in seven years. Her songs “Diamonds” and “Stay” from that album became global hits. She has a multi-million dollar deal to appear in the Vita Coco drink ads.
#6. Katy Perry
- 1-Year Pay: $39 million
- Age: 28
Despite a relatively quiet year for Perry, she still earns plenty of money, thanks to her “Teenage Dream” album that has scored a historic record of spawning five No. 1 Billboard singles from one album. She continues to rake in the dough from concerts and performances worldwide, an endorsement deal with Coty fragrances, and a deal with Popchips, a snackmaker in which she also holds an equity stake. Her 2012 biopic Katy Perry: Part of Me added more million-dollars sum to her income.
#7. Adele
- 1-Year Pay: $30 million
- Age: 25
Taking a break to become a mom, English singer-songwriter Adele still made money last year for continued sales of her album 21 which already sold 26 million copies to date. She holds the record for the being the first female artist in history to have three singles in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts at the same time. She co-wrote and sang “Skyfall,” which was used as theme in the similarly-named Bond movie. She won an Oscar for it for Best Original Song in February 2013.
#8. Jennifer Lawrence
- 1-Year Pay: $26 million
- Age: 22
With an Oscar for Best Actress and a top-grossing movie franchise, Lawrence seems to be Hollywood’s latest darling. She was paid under $1 million for the first Hunger Games movie but is set to receive more when she reprises her role in the upcoming second installment, Catching Fire. In between playing Katniss Everdeen, she starred in the comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook, which snatched her the Best Actress trophy in the 2012 Oscars. She has signed up to play Mystique in the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past set to be released in 2014.
#9. Kristen Stewart
- 1-Year Pay: $22 million
- Age: 23
Kristin Stewart’s Bella Swan character in the Twilight series has consistently sealed her spot in the list of top paid celebrities, but now that the series has come to an end, Stewart is looking for more avenues that can bring in money. She was credited for making the film Snow White and the Huntsman a $400 million global hit, but it also caused her breakup with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson after admitting she had an affair with the Snow White director Rupert Sanders. After that movie, she starred in the 2012 drama film On the Road and is set to appear in the movie Camp X-Ray in 2014.
#10. Taylor Lautner
- 1-Year Pay: $22 million
- Age: 21
Stewart’s Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner is also building a career outside of his popular werewolf character in the supernatural film franchise. In 2011, he starred in an action thriller film, Abduction, that grossed only $28 million in the U.S. but amassed $82 million worldwide. He also played alongside Adam Sandler in the movie Grown Ups 2 in July 2013. He is currently an endorser of Bench, a popular Philippine clothing brand.
Source: Forbes magazine
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