Beyoncé, now officially a billionaire according to Forbes, joins a small group of musicians whose careers span global superstardom, touring dominance, and expansive business ventures beyond music. | AFP 
LIFE

Beyoncé joins the billionaire club — Forbes

Alvin Kasiban

Beyoncé has crossed a threshold few artists ever reach — not just cultural dominance, but financial gravity.

According to Forbes, the global superstar is now officially a billionaire, placing her among a rare circle of musicians whose fortunes stretch beyond charts, tours, and trophies. The milestone quietly affirms what fans and industry watchers have long suspected: Beyoncé is not only an artist, but an enterprise.

The moment arrives after a relentless run of arena-sized success. Her Cowboy Carter Tour pulled in more than $400 million worldwide, following the historic Renaissance World Tour, which itself extended into cinemas as a concert film event in 2023. Few performers have managed to turn reinvention into a recurring business model, fewer still have done it at this scale. But the billion-dollar mark wasn’t built on ticket sales alone.

Behind the spotlight is Parkwood Entertainment, the production company Beyoncé founded in 2010, now a central engine powering her music, films, and creative projects. In recent years, she has expanded her reach into consumer brands with Cécred, her haircare line, and SirDavis, a whiskey label launched in partnership with Moët Hennessy, moves that signal a calculated shift from endorsement to ownership.

Fashion, too, has played a role. Ivy Park, her athleisure collaboration launched in 2016, became a cultural moment in its own right, blurring the lines between celebrity, lifestyle branding, and high-demand drops.

At 44, Beyoncé becomes the fifth musician recognized by Forbes as a billionaire, joining a select roster that includes Jay-Z, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Bruce Springsteen. Notably, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop artist to reach the milestone in 2019, making the Knowles-Carter household a rare dual-billionaire pairing in music.

In a world now counting more than 3,000 billionaires globally, Beyoncé’s ascent stands apart. It is not just a story of wealth accumulation, but of control, over sound, image, narrative, and legacy.

She once joked that it should cost a billion to look that good. In 2025, it turns out she built a system that made it possible.