Billie Eilish had a message for the billionaires in the crowd at this year’s WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards: share the wealth.
The pop star — who shot to fame as a teenager with her viral 2015 hit “Ocean Eyes” — made the remarks while accepting the Music Innovator Award on Wednesday.
“We’re in a time right now where the world feels really dark, and people need empathy and help more than ever—especially in our country. If you have money, it’d be great to use it for good—maybe give some to people who need it,” Eilish, 23, told the star-studded audience, which included celebrities like beauty mogul Hailey Bieber, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and billionaire Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg.
“I love you all, but there are a few people here with a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties,” she said at the podium, prompting laughter and applauds from the attendees.
It was revealed at the event that the singer would be donating $11.5 million from her global Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to charity organizations addressing climate change and food insecurity. Eilish has long been an environmental activist known for championing sustainability along with her brother, Finneas O’Connell, who has written and produced her three best-selling studio albums.
Eilish achieved stardom overnight at age 14, and became even more popular with the release of her debut EP Don’t Smile at Me in 2017. On top of her Grammy-winning music and world tours, she’s dipped into career ventures from the beauty world to TV roles.
She became the youngest member of the Forbes World’s 100 Highest-Paid Celebrities in 2019, earning an estimated $53 million as of 2020.
Here’s everything we know about Eilish’s earnings.
How much has Billie Eilish made?
Since Forbes’ 2020 estimate, Eilish’s star has continued to grow.
The singer has made over $67.5 million in digital singles, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
In 2019, she performed at more than 60 venues for her Where Do We Go? Tour before she was forced to cancel it during the Covid-19 pandemic. The tour still reportedly brought in an estimated $18 million, according to Touring Data.
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Then the singer reportedly earned $25 million from her 2021 documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, which was acquired by Apple TV+.
She went on to publish a book of her photographs, which sold 64,000 copies before releasing her best-selling album Happier Than Ever, which sold over 10 million units worldwide.
In February 2022, Eilish embarked on her Happier Than Ever, The World Tour, which brought in an estimated $131 million, per Touring Data.
She made her acting debut as Eva in Amazon Prime Video thriller series Swarm in 2023, and then jumped into the film world by co-writing the hit song “What Was I Made For?” for the soundtrack of 2023 blockbuster Barbie. The song surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify and ended up winning the Oscars for Best Original Song as well as two Grammy awards.
Eilish hit her best sales week ever with the release of her album Hit Me Hard and Soft, selling 339,000 units of the album in its first week.
Her most recent tour, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour, is set to wrap in November 2025. It’s already become one of the most successful tours of the decade, reportedly on track to generate $300 million, per Touring Data.
What are Billie Eilish’s products and partnerships?
While Eilish mostly earns her millions through music and touring, she has also partnered with various brands over the years, including Gucci, Calvin Klein, Nike, and Apple.
She has had her own clothing merchandise line, called Blōhsh, since March 2018. The products listed on the online store currently include $35 beanies, $60 necklaces, and $100 hoodies.
In 2021, the singer launched her own vegan and cruelty-free fragrance brand, Eilish Fragrances, which sells perfumes, body mists, and lotions.
The brand did $60 million in sales in its first year, Women’s Wear Daily reported.
What properties does Billie Eilish own?
As of 2023, the singer still lived with her parents in her childhood home in Los Angeles: the same house where she wrote her debut album.
While she still lived with her family, Eilish is believed to have bought a ranch just 10 minutes away from her mom and dad when she was just 17.
The 2,100-square-foot former house farm used to belong to singer Leona Lewis, who put it on the market for $2.3 million in 2019, according to property records obtained by Realtor.com.
The ranch features a horse paddock, an arena, and a guesthouse in Glendale, California.
