Cher Shared How She Shockingly Gave Away Millions From Her Hit Single 'Believe'

Kristyn Burtt
·2 min read
2

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Cher has made a fortune in her lifetime and is reportedly worth $360 million, per Celebrity Net Worth, but she’s now revealing that she made one error that could have catapulted her into another tax bracket. The 77-year-old singer admitted that she could have earned millions from her hit single, “Believe,” if she had only added her name to the list of songwriters.

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She released the song back in 1998 and it became an instantaneous smash hit, selling over 11 million copies worldwide. The single won her a Grammy for Best Dance Recording, and it’s probably one of her most recognizable songs. However, she shared on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years, via the Mirror, that she was “too stupid” to ask for a credit on the song.

Cher at the Rabanne H&M event in Paris on October 2, dressed in a custom made look from the Rabanne H&M collection. *
Cher at the Rabanne H&M event in Paris on October 2, dressed in a custom made look from the Rabanne H&M collection. *

Believe it or not, six men are profiting from Cher’s success, Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, and Timothy Powell. “You can’t even imagine – about 30 people wrote on it. And I wrote it and was so stupid – I didn’t even ask to get a writer’s credit! I wrote, ‘I’ve had time to think it through, and maybe I’m too good for you,” she noted. There was a reason she wrote those lines, too. “A chick can be upset for one verse but not two, not on one of my songs,” she added.

Buy Now 'Believe' (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) $23.34

Cher is still mad at not advocating for herself because she “could have gotten a lot of money” — and money that she obviously deserved, especially after fighting with producer Mark Taylor over the vocals. She wanted the edgy electro-pop sound with her Auto-Tune vocals, the first major hit to utilize this tool, and she finally wore him down. “I couldn’t believe how fabulous it was, and my favorite thing was that you didn’t know it was my voice at the beginning,” she said proudly. Cher knew exactly what she was doing — creating an iconic song for the decades.

Before you go, click here for more documentaries about strong women in music.

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