KUALA LUMPUR – Arguably the most recognisable face on Earth now, Taylor Swift has made it into the 2024 Forbes billionaires list after her record-breaking Eras Tour, which took place in five continents.
Her estimated net worth is US$1.1 billion (approximately RM5.23 billion), which she accumulated from the profits from her successful tour, the value of her music catalogue, and her real estate holdings.
The 34-year-old American popstar is the first artiste whose songs and live performances alone have brought her to the billionaires club.
Meanwhile, former NBA star and businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson is also a new billionaire this year with an estimated net worth of US$1.2 billion through his investments in professional sports teams, movie theatres, Starbucks franchises, real estate, and healthcare.
The US secured its top spot again, with 67 more Americans making it into the billionaire group.
Todd Graves, the mind behind American fast-food chain franchise Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, is the richest among them, with an estimated net worth of US$9.1 billion.
China, in second place, introduced 31 new billion-dollar holders this year, which is nearly twice the number from last year’s record of 16.
Maggie Gu, Molly Miao, and Ren Xiaoqing, who jointly founded Shein, the online fast-fashion brand, are the richest among the new billionaires from China. They have an estimated net worth of US$4.2 billion each.
Meanwhile, Livia Voigt, a 19-year-old Brazilian teen, is not only the youngest newcomer but also the youngest billionaire in the world this year.
She and her elder sister Dora Voigt de Assis were inherited a US$1.1 billion fortune each from their late grandfather, Werner Ricardo Voigt, who co-founded the Brazilian turbine maker WEG.
Shunsaku Sagami, 33, a Japanese entrepreneur, is the youngest self-made newcomer this year, with an estimated net worth of US$1.9 billion.
Sagami, who is an alumnus of Kobe University, founded the advising firm M&A Research Institute in Tokyo and uses artificial intelligence to discover buyers for businesses.
Almost half of the entrants this year are said to be self-made billionaires, having started businesses that have made them wealthy in lieu of inheriting their fortunes. – April 3, 2024