Adele tops under-30s rich list

ADELE is now the richest musician under 30 in Britain and Ireland, according to the latest edition of The Sunday Times Rich List.

The Hello singer’s global success has rocketed her wealth to a cool £125m – an increase of almost 50% in the past year alone.

She is the 19th richest musician – and only solo female artist – in the Music Millionaires list, which is topped by Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell who are worth a combined £780m.

The former Beatle, 74, continues to increase his wealth with live appearances and last October he earned an estimated £8m from the Desert Trip festival in California.

He is joined on the list by ex-bandmate Ringo Starr and George Harrison’s widow and son, Olivia and Dhani Harrison.

Second in the list is Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber who boasts £740m in 2017 with his continued involvement in musical theatre while The Rolling Stones are well represented with Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts increasing their collective wealth by £50m.

The highest increase on the list comes from Irish rock band U2 in third place who saw their wealth grow by £48m to £548m.

There are also appearances on the list from Sir Elton John, Robbie Williams, Sir Rod Stewart and Roger Waters.

Robert Watts, compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: “What a year for Adele.

“Such strong record sales and a busy touring schedule propel her into our main list for the first time.

“Still in her 20s, if Adele’s career lasts as long as many of the other entries in our list, she has the potential to be the highest-earning British musician of all time.”

He called the rise from the Rolling Stones and older bands “striking” adding: “Many of these groups continue to play lucrative gigs well into their 70s.

“It seems rock music – be it performing or watching – is no longer just for the young.”

The Music Millionaires list is released ahead of the 29th annual Sunday Times Rich List, which will be published this weekend.

The full list charts the wealth of the 1,000 richest individuals and families in the UK and Ireland.