It's not that Taylor Swift is competitive per se, but after becoming the first female artist ever to knock her own song off the top of the Billboard 100, the country-cum-pop-star is only the world's third highest-earning star under 30 according to Forbes. But it's not the bronze medal that we imagine has Swift feeling snubbed, rather that she was beat out by Justin Bieber. While the two have been buddy-buddy in the past, it appears things have gone south since Bieber's very public breakup with Swift's notorious confidante Selena Gomez. And let's face it, she didn't seem particularly fond of Bieber even when they were together given that infamous display of distaste in sticking-out-her-tongue-form when she caught the young lovers kissing at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards.
What's more is that over the past year, Bieber was essentially living out his publicist's worst nightmare by assaulting paparazzo to his D.U.I. arrest. And yet, the 20-year-old still managed to rake in $80 million, putting him at the top of Forbes' list ahead of One Direction with $75 million. Swift may have only earned $64 million but after the record-breaking release of her album 1989, we say 2015 is shaping up to be the year of T-Swift. Look out, Biebs.
Rounding out the list are Bruno Mars ($60 million), Rihanna ($48 million), Miley Cyrus ($36 million), Jennifer Lawrence ($34 million), Lady Gaga ($33 million), Avicii ($28 million), and Skrillex ($18 million).
![](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/gettyimages-1163709602.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.460xh;0,0.209xh&resize=480:* "Sony Pictures' "Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood" Los Angeles Premiere - Red Carpet")
