Taylor Swift shuns $9M offer for private UAE gig while Beyoncé cashed in million

Taylor Swift has reportedly turned down a big offer to perform at a private event in the United Arab Emirates. The pop queen, who is gearing up for the release of her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, was offered a hefty sum of $9 million, according to French Montana. Meanwhile, a 2023 Forbes report highlights that pop stars like Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Mars, and others have cashed in millions from private gigs, with Queen Bey topping the list.
Last month, Karim Kharbouch, a Moroccan-American rapper better known as French Montana, shared a screenshot of the offer on his social media. While he censored the other performer’s name, he mentioned being offered $1 million to perform and revealed that the other person was offered $9 million in December.
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In a now-deleted post, he wrote, “Somebody just sent me a show offer, who y’all think the $9 million was for lol?” Fans were left guessing until he later disclosed in a new interview with VladTV that the other person was none other than the 14-time Grammy winner, Taylor Swift.
“They had a show offer for me and Taylor — her $9 million, me $1 million,” he said adding, “Somewhere in Emirates.”
While it’s still unknown why the “Bad Blood” singer rejected such a huge deal, money definitely doesn’t seem to be an issue. Forbes recently declared her one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, as she became the first musician to achieve a ten-figure status solely through her songs and performances.
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“The 34-year-old pop star amassed an estimated $1.1 billion fortune, based on earnings from the blockbuster tour, the value of her music catalogue and her real estate portfolio.”
On the other hand, Beyoncé didn’t shy away from raking in Millions through consecutive private performances. A Forbes 2023 report mentions Beyoncé headlined the launch of the luxurious ‘Atlantis the Royal’ hotel in Dubai, where she reportedly bagged $24 million for the hour-long set. Beyoncé also performed at the 2018 pre-wedding reception of the daughter of the 9th richest man in the world, Mukesh Ambani, earning an estimated $4,7 million.
According to reports, at a certain event held by Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko, pop star Jennifer Lopez made a staggering $2.8 million. Meanwhile, David Brooks, a former body armor magnate, paid Aerosmith $2.9 million to perform at his daughter’s birthday party. In 2011, Billboard reported that Celine Dion was booked for 2-3 private events annually, and she was paid between $8.5 million for each performance.