Adele

   Earning: $18 million

 

Adele stands on the stage of the Staples Center during the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, February 12, 2012. [Forbes.com]

Perhaps Britain's most successful act since The Beatles, Adele snagged six Grammys in 2012. Her second album, 21, was first ever to sell 3 million copies in the U.K.