The 'Swish Swish' singer tops the Forbes list with earnings of $83 million, while the 'Gorgeous' songstress lands second and Beyonce Knowles slips to third place.

• Nov 21, 2018

AceShowbiz - Katy Perry has topped Forbes magazine's 2018 list of the highest-paid women in music, with earnings of $83 million (£64 million).

The 34-year-old singer earned more than $1 million (£779,000) for every night of her "Witness: The Tour", playing more than 80 dates during the June 2017 to June 2018 time period analysed by the U.S. publication. In addition, she is said to have raked in a staggering $20 million (£15 million) after taking on a judging role on TV talent show "American Idol".

Katy was followed in the list by Taylor Swift, who placed second with pre-tax earnings of $80 million (£62 million). Forbes noted that while many may have expected Taylor to top the annual financial breakdown, many of her "Reputation Stadium Tour" dates fell outside of the June-June time period. Despite that, the launch of Taylor's new album "Reputation" saw her top the charts worldwide, selling two million copies in its opening week, and it undoubtedly contributed to her still impressive bank balance.

The top three of Forbes' 2018 list was rounded out by Beyonce Knowles, who raked in $60 million (£46 million) thanks to her performance at Coachella earlier this year and her joint album with husband Jay-Z. Much like Taylor, Beyonce's "On The Run II" tour fell outside of the time period looked at by Forbes, meaning it will be reflected in their 2019 list.

Pink and Lady GaGa finished the top five, with earnings of $52 million (£40 million) and $50 million (£38 million) respectively. Jennifer Lopez came in sixth position ($47 million, £36 million), Rihanna was seventh ($37.5 million, £29 million) and Russian-German singer Helene Fischer came in eighth ($32 million, £25 million). Celine Dion and Britney Spears concluded the top 10, after raking in $31 million (£24 million) and $30 million (£23 million) apiece.

The Highest-Paid Woman In Music For 2018:

• 1. Katy Perry ($83 million)
• 2. Taylor Swift ($80 million)
• 3. Beyonce Knowles ($60 million)
• 4. Pink ($52 million)
• 5. Lady GaGa ($50 million)
• 6. Jennifer Lopez ($47 million)
• 7. Rihanna ($37.5 million)
• 8. Helene Fischer ($32 million)
• 9. Celine Dion ($31 million)
• 10. Britney Spears ($30 million)