Tracy Chapman's net worth in 2024 is $6 million. The American singer-songwriter is known for her hit song Fast Car, which garnered her plenty of fame and fortune. Let's look at Tracy Chapman's net worth in 2024.

What is Tracy Chapman's net worth in 2024?: $6 million (estimate)

The creator of the song Fast Car was a forgotten artist until country megastar Luke Combs covered the song on his latest album and then brought Chapman on stage for a duet at the 2024 Grammys. Tracy Chapman's net worth in 2024 sits at about $6 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents divorced when she was 4 years old, so her mother began raising her with a love of music in mind. Her mother bought her a ukulele at 3 and a guitar at 8.

Chapman's first foray into songwriting was when she began playing the guitar. She attributes her inspiration to play the guitar to the television show Hee Haw.

Chapman accepted an invite from the program, A Better Chance. This program sponsors students at college preparatory high schools away from their home communities.

Chapman graduated from Wooster School in Connecticut, then Tufts University, where she majored in Anthropology. While she majored in Anthropology, she had a faux-masters degree in music.

She played in nearby areas and recorded demos of songs on the Tufts University radio station. A fellow Tufts student was an integral part of Chapman becoming an artist post-studies.

Tracy Chapman's early career

tracy chapman's net worth

Chapman made her stage debut as an opening act for Linda Tillery on May 3, 1985. Tufts student Brian Koppelman heard her playing and showed her to his father, Charles Koppelman.

Charles Koppelman was an American musician, music producer, and businessman who held positions at EMI and Steve Madden. Koppelman ran SBK Publishing then and signed Chapman to a deal in 1986. After her graduation, Koppelman helped Chapman sign a contract with Elektra Records.

Chapman released a self-titled album in 1988. The album was critically acclaimed and kickstarted a tour. She performed Fast Car at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, which started the song's meteoric rise up the US charts.

Fast Car became a No. 6 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1988. Rolling Stone ranked the song as No. 167 on their 2010 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Talkin' Bout a Revolution and Baby Can I Hold You also did well on the charts, helping the album go multiplatinum and win three Grammy Awards.

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Tracy Chapman's follow-up albums

Chapman's following two albums, Crossroads and Matters of the Heart, didn't have the same success as her debut. However, Crossroads still achieved platinum status in the US.

New Beginning sold 5 million copies in the US, including her most successful single, Give Me One Reason. The song won a 1997 Grammy for Best Rock Song and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, helping it go platinum.

Chapman took a hiatus before releasing her fifth album, Telling Stories, in 2000, which went gold. In 2002, she released Let It Rain.

Atlantic Records released Chapman's next studio album in 2008, titled Our Bright Future. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the Grammys in 2009.

Luke Combs brings Tracy Chapman back into the limelight

Luke Combs released his version of Chapman's hit song, Fast Car, in 2023. The song reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in July 2023, making Chapman the first black woman to score a country No. 1 with a solo composition.

At the CMA Awards in November 2023, she became the first black woman to win an award. This also made her the first black songwriter to win Song of the Year. Chapman's performances and public appearances have been few over the past decade, but she appeared with Combs on stage at the 2024 Grammys to perform Fast Car.

Chapman has been out of the limelight for a long time after bursting onto the scene in the late 1980s. Nevertheless, was Tracy Chapman's net worth in 2024 a surprise?