What Is Calvin Harris' Net Worth?
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer, and DJ who has a net worth of $300 million. As of this writing, Calvin Harris is the richest DJ in the world. In a typical year, he earns $30-$40 million. In October 2020, Calvin sold his publishing catalog to Vine Alternative Investments for $100 million. The catalog included over 150 Harris-produced songs, including collaborations with artists like Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, and Travis Scott.
The Scottish-born DJ, singer-songwriter, and producer appears to be living a rather charmed life of late. He began recording his own electronic music tracks in his bedroom when he was in his late teens. Some of his early songs were actually released and became local hits. In 2006, Harris was discovered on MySpace and was signed by EMI, Sony BMG, and the Three Six Zero Group. His first album, "I Created Disco," was released a year later. It became a hit in the UK, climbing to #8 on the British charts, and two of its three singles reached the Top 10. It was later certified Gold. His next album, "Ready for the Weekend," was an international success, and he began touring worldwide. Calvin released his third album, "18 Months," in 2012 while continuing to tour. He has not slowed down since.
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Early Life
Calvin Harris was born Adam Richard Wiles on January 17, 1984, in Dumfries, Scotland. He's the son of English parents David Wiles, a biochemist, and Pamela Wiles, a homemaker. He has an older brother (Edward) and an older sister (Sophie). Calvin became enamored with electronic music during his teenage years and began recording demos in his bedroom in the late '90s. In order to afford musical equipment, Harris worked stocking shelves in a local supermarket and at a local fish factory as a teenager.
Career
In 2002, Harris released a pair of songs, "Da Bongos" and "Brighter Days," under the name Stouffer. After the release of these two singles, Harris moved to London to further his career. However, the move was short-lived due to the high cost of living in the city. Having only released one single during his time in London, he moved back to Dumfries and began posting music on the early social media site Myspace. Harris's Myspace was soon discovered by an influential talent manager who soon signed him to his company. Soon afterward, he signed with EMI and Sony BMG.
His first album, the '80s-inspired "I Created Disco," was released in 2007. The album was certified Gold and contained the singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls," which charted well in the United Kingdom. Subsequent tours saw him supporting UK electronic legends Groove Armada and Faithless. It wasn't long after his first record that he came to the attention of Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, and he would go on to co-write songs for her 2007 album, "X." This would begin a long career of collaboration with a number of artists that would lead to many of his biggest hits.
Calvin's second album, "Ready for the Weekend," was released in 2009. It contained his first UK #1 hit, "I'm Not Alone," as well as the singles "Ready for the Weekend," "Flashback," and "You Used to Hold Me." However, it was his third album that truly catapulted him to superstardom. "18 Months" was released in 2012 and was one of the primary forces behind the rise of EDM (electronic dance music) and its takeover of the music charts. Collaborations included some of the biggest names in pop music, including Florence Welch, Ellie Goulding, and Ne-Yo. His collaboration with Rihanna for "We Found Love" topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 list for ten straight weeks.
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The album contained many of the year's biggest singles, including "Feel So Close," "Bounce," "Let's Go," "We'll Be Coming Back," "Sweet Nothing," "Drinking from the Bottle," "I Need Your Love," and "Thinking About You" all of which reached the Top 10 in the UK. The album helped him surpass Michael Jackson for the most top ten hits on one studio album on the UK Singles Chart.
With a new level of international fame, Harris released "Motion" in 2014. The album features collaborations with the likes of Big Sean, Gwen Stefani, and Ellie Goulding. The second single from the album, "Summer," was the most-streamed song of 2014 on the music streaming platform Spotify. Harris continued to produce hugely popular songs with a variety of different performers, including Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, and Frank Ocean. Perhaps his biggest track of the era, however, occurred when he again collaborated with Rihanna for 2016's "This is What You Came For, "which became his highest-charting record as the lead artist. The following year saw the release of "Funk Wav Bounces Vol 1.," his fifth studio album that saw collaborations with the likes of Snoop Dogg, John Legend, and Future, among others. The album moves away from EDM and is far more groove-based. It had a number of popular tracks, including "Slide," "Heatstroke," and the summer hit "Feels," which featured Big Sean, Pharrell, and Katy Perry.
Harris has won a Grammy Award (Best Music Video for "We Found Love" with Rhianna) and four MTV Video Music Awards. He has named Jamiroquai and Fatboy Slim as his primary influences, and he's also racked up an impressive list of endorsement deals, signing sponsorship and advertising contracts with companies like Apple (the cover of his album "I Created Disco" was used in an ad for the iPod nano in 2008), Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Sol Republic. The luxury fashion label Armani even signed him up to endorse their underwear line in 2014.
One of the world's most in-demand DJs, Harris has had numerous residencies at many of Las Vegas's premier establishments, including the Wynn Las Vegas, MGM Grand, and Caesar's Palace. His tours have taken him around the world, seeing him headline esteemed arenas and music festivals such as Coachella, Creamfields, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. He launched Fly Eye Records, his own vanity label focused mainly on EDM, in March 2010. He, along with various other musicians, is also a co-owner of the music streaming service Tidal.
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Personal Life
Calvin's personal life has been the focus of much press attention. This is in no small part due to his high profile relationships with the likes of Rita Ora and Taylor Swift. However, Harris generally keeps very private about his personal life.
Philanthropy
Harris is known for charitable works, performing at a number of events for causes such as curbing teen suicide, ending homelessness in Scotland, and raising money for children's hospitals. In 2010, he performed in The War Child's post-Brit Awards show to raise awareness for children affected by war violence. He teamed up with several other famous artists, such as Coldplay, to perform a charity concert in February 2012. All proceeds went to the Children's Orthopaedic Center at the Children's Hospital in L.A. After the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Harris donated his fees from a headline show at Las Vegas's Omnia Nightclub to the Las Vegas Victims fund.
Calvin Harris Career Earnings
Calvin Harris grossed an estimated $46 million in 2013, which made him the world's highest-paid DJ. In 2014 he grossed over $60 million. Between June 2016 and June 2017, Calvin earned $49 million. Between June 2017 and June 2018, Calvin Harris earned $50 million. He earned $38 million between June 2018 and 2019.
Real Estate
In 2017, Calvin bought fellow DJ Steve Angello's home in the Hollywood Hills for $5 million. Calvin listed the home for sale in August 2020 for $5.5 million but ultimately accepted $5.1 million.
In 2013, Calvin paid $7 million for a home above the Sunset Strip. He sold this home for $7 million in 2020 after originally listing it for just under $10 million in February 2016. Selling for $7 million in 2020 was actually a loss after you take into account at least $1 million worth of renovation, repair, and carrying costs over the years he owned the home.
In 2014, he paid $15 million for a mansion in Beverly Hills. This property has 10 bedrooms spread over multiple structures and 12 total bathrooms. The home features a total of 16,300 square feet of living space. In February 2022, Harris listed this home for sale for $25 million. He took the home off the market for a few months before re-listing in November 2022, again for $25 million. Here is a video tour of the home:
In 2018, Calvin paid $14 million for a 2.5-acre vacant property in Bel-Air. He has submitted plans to build an 18,000-square-foot home from scratch on the property.
