While
many celebrities have started from the bottom and worked their way up, there
are some lucky stars who were born rich. Racks on racks on racks for “silver
spoon” celebs like Jordin Sparks, Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus, whose parents were all famous in their own
right before giving birth to their songbird daughters and son.
Other celebs who were born rich include Ariana Grande, whose dad has built a very successful
design company over the years, as well as Psy, who actually
hails from the affluent town Gangnam, a place he is known to sing about from
time to time. Check out these 10 Pop Stars Who Were Born Rich and find out
where all that family moola came from.
1. Willow and Jaden Smith
Willow
Smith and her big brother, Jaden Smith, were born into an extremely wealthy family...
Their dad is 'The Fresh Prince,' after all! Born to actors Will Smith and Jada
Pinkett-Smith, who have a combined net worth of over $200 million, Willow and
Jaden have been living in the lap of luxury since the days when they were
pooping in diapers.
Now
that they both have recording and acting careers for themselves, we bet these
kids are rolling in even more green.
2. Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande has plenty of pocket change on her own,
thanks to actings gigs (she plays Cat Valentine on 'Victorious' and 'Sam &
Cat') and her blossoming recording career. However, her parents are pretty well
off, so we doubt their famous daughter needs to help them out.
Her father, Edward Butera, is the CEO of a successful
design company, Ibi Designs Inc., based out of Boca Raton, Fla. He has clients
such as FAO Schwarz and Eddie Murphy on his resume, but 'The Way' songstress
usually credits her mama, Joan, for her hard work ethic.
3. Cassie
Although there isn't a ton of info on Cassie's parents, we do
know that the model/singer grew up in New London, Conn., which isn't really a
"rich" town, per se. However, Cassie attended a very pricey (upwards
of $26,000 a year), private prep school, which leads us to believe that her Filipino-American
father and Mexican/African-American mother had some extra bills to spend.
Seriously, that is like college tuition status! Hopefully
Cassie learned a lot during her high school years...
4. Ed Sheeran
While there is no concerete evidence on the exact income
of Ed Sheeran's family, we
think it's fair to say that 'The A Team' singer didn't face any impoverishment
as a kid growing up in the picturesque market town of Framlingham.
Both of his parents are successful artists -- his father,
John, is an art curator and a lecturer, while his mother, Imogen, makes jewelry
(she was formerly a publicist). The Sheeran patriarch and matriarch also ran
the independent art consultancy, Sheeran Lock, for 20 years.
5. Darren Criss
Darren Criss has
known all about the Benjamins since a young age. The 'Glee' star's pops is not
only a banker, but was also on the Board of Directors for the San
Francisco Opera -- a post you achieve only when you've opened your pockets
quite a bit.
But Darren's dad, Charles, isn't just a some Average Joe
banker -- he moved his family to Hawaii for a few years so he could start and
act as the Chairman and CEO of EastWest Bank. Ballin!
6. Jordin Sparks
Even
though Jordin Sparks made a name for herself after winning Season 6 of 'American Idol,' becoming the youngest champ in the show's
history, she still had it pretty good in the money department before hitting it
big.
Jordin's dad is Phillippi Sparks, a former NFL cornerback
who played for the N.Y. Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, while her mother, Jodi,
is an entrepreneur. Good for Sparks for not using her dad's football fame to
get her foot in the door. The 'No Air' songstress worked hard to get where she
is today!
7. Mike Posner
Mike Posner likes
to play up his humble Detroit roots, but the 'Cooler Than Me' crooner was
actually raised in the affluent suburb of Southfield, Mich., where an annual
income for a family of four clocks in around $115,000 a year.
Posner, the son of a lawyer, also went to college at the
prestigious Duke University, where tuition runs
about $56,000 a year. And we don't hear him singing 'Cooler Than Sallie Mae' either.
8. Psy
Psy is actually from the Gangnam District of Seoul, South
Korea, the same place he's singing about on that hit song of his. Gangnam is
one of the wealthiest areas of Seoul -- basically the Beverly Hills of the
South Korean capital. (Does 'Gangnam Style' make a lot more sense to you now?
Psy wants a lady who enjoys the finer things in life!)
Psy's family, like most in the Gangnam District, is very
comfortable. His father, Park Won-Ho, is the executive chairman of DI
Corporation, while Psy's mother, Kim Young-hee, is a restaurant owner.
9. Miley Cyrus
When Miley Cyrus was born in Nov. 1992, her dad's earworm
'Achy Breaky Heart' had hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts and No. 4 on
the Billboard Hot 100. Needless to say, you don't have such far-reaching
success (1.4 million copies of 'Achy Breaky' sold) as a singer without
making a little scratch.
If Miley didn't have the nest egg of Billy Ray (his net
worth is an estimated $50 million), she may have never had the chance to build
her own empire, starting with Disney's 'Hannah Montana.'
10. Robin Thicke
Did you know that Robin Thicke is the son of Alan Thicke,
aka Dr. Jason Seaver from 'Growing Pains'? For all of you who didn't make that
connection until now, we'll give you a second to collect yourself.
Additionally, Thicke's mother is former soap actress
Gloria Loring. While her role on 'Days of Our Lives' isn't as celebrated as her
former hubby's role as Dr. Seaver, one thing seems certain: The 'Blurred Lines'
singer never had an empty wallet growing up.
