NFTs have been stealing the spotlight since 2021. They’re all the rage amongst art and investment enthusiasts today. We’ve all heard about them—but many of us are still in the dark about what they really are.
So what is an NFT anyway?
NFT stands for “non-fungible token” and refers to unique digital items that people can purchase ownership of using cryptocurrency. The proof of ownership is publicly stored on the blockchain database for anyone to access.
The prices of these unique digital items that are usually artworks sometimes reach a stunning value of up to $52 million. Naturally, the world’s most popular and richest celebrities wanted in on this booming industry that is worth about $15.70 billion.
From Shawn Mendes to Stephen Curry, take a look at all of these stars who’ve ventured into celebrity NFT projects.
Celebrity NFT Projects
Shaquille O’Neal
This NBA legend took his celebrity NFT projects to the next level by giving back to the community. 100% of the proceeds from the SHAQ Gives Back NFT series (which features 10,000 NFTs of the basketball player in various creative getups) go to The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation to help underprivileged and underserved youth.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton is on her way to becoming one of the queens in the world of NFTs! This socialite’s celebrity NFT projects with @superplastic that represent her closing one chapter of her life and moving on to the next were sold at a price of $11,111 each.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan’s celeb NFT was a combination of different types of arts: a motion graphic with animated butterflies and a soundtrack called “Lullaby.” This piece of art sold for $85,000.
Shawn Mendes
This Canadian singer-songwriter ventured into the celebrity NFT industry with the release of his collaboration with @genies. The proceeds were donated to the @shawnfoundation Wonder Grants program to support young artists and changemakers.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg’s celeb NFT drop called “A Journey with the Dogg” brought back nostalgic memories from his earlier days. A portion of the proceeds was used to support Snoop’s Youth Football League and emerging artists in the crypto industry.
Liam Payne
The former One Direction singer’s celebrity NFT artwork aims to reflect the childlike state that many people returned to during the pandemic. The multimedia work of art called “Lonely Bug” features music from Zedd, animations from Sillygabe, and spoken word from Gary Vee. It sold for a whopping $122,222—we can tell it’s a lonely bug no more.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Via a tweet in early 2022, Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that she had joined the Bored Ape Yacht Club (one of the world’s most popular NFT collections). The big reveal was a post containing an NFT clearly inspired by the actress herself. Proving that she’s a huge believer in this rising industry, even her Twitter profile image is an NFT from the World of Women collection.
Grimes
Wondering which celebrity NFT projects raked in at least $6 million dollars? It’s no other than the collection of Canadian singer, Grimes. The most expensive item in the project was a multimedia work of art called “Death of the Old,” which was worth $389,000.
Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki, one of the world’s most successful DJs, reveals he earns more from NFTs than he does from music royalties. He says “But if I was to really break down, okay, in the 10 years I’ve been making music…six albums, and you [combine] all those advances, what I did in one drop last year in NFTs, I made more money.”
He sold a celebrity NFT called “Hairy,” which he made in collaboration with Antoni Tudisco, for a staggering price of $888,888.88. *mic drop*
Eminem
In 2021, Eminem released his first collection of celebrity NFTs called “Shady Con.” The project was inspired by the rapper’s passion for vintage toys, comic books, and trading cards. One artwork piece called “Stans’ Revenge” raked in a top bid of $100,000.
Emily Ratajkowski
Arguably one of the most unique celebrity NFTs in the industry, this piece from Emily Ratajkowski is called “Buying Myself Back: A Model for Redistribution.” Featuring a famous 2014 photograph of the model from Sports Illustrated, this NFT was sold for $140,000.
Reese Witherspoon
Another celeb NFT set to make its mark in the industry is Reese Witherspoon’s collaboration with World of Women. Her media company called “Hello Sunshine” partnered with the latter to develop World of Women NFT characters into educational events, feature films, and TV shows.
Justin Bieber
In early 2022, Justin Bieber added Bored Ape #3001 from the Bored Ape Yacht Club to his growing NFT collection—all for $1.3 million.
Jimmy Fallon
The host of the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon officially joined the celebrity NFT club in 2021 with the purchase of Bored Ape #599 from the Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Kevin Hart
This comedian’s celebrity NFT collection was inspired by his hit series Confessions from the Hart and features 10,000 alter-egos of Kevin Hart himself. Each NFT is available for $65.
Martha Stewart
Which business industry hasn’t Martha Stewart ventured into? From spooky Halloween to winter wonderland NFTs, this businesswoman knows exactly how to create collectibles that add some sparkle to the season.
Cara Delevingne
Cara Delevigne’s celebrity NFT is a collaboration with @chemical_x_lab that was auctioned to raise money for her foundation that supports women’s empowerment, COVID-19 relief, LGBTQIA+ organizations, environmental causes, and fights institutionalized racism.
Timbaland
Timbaland’s NFT, which was originally known as Bored Ape #590, is being brought to life to a whole new extent. This NFT now goes by the name “Congo” and is featured in various Timbaland videos. Now that’s what we call a celebrity NFT.
Lionel Messi
With the release of the “Messiverse” collection, this football star once again made history— sales of his celebrity NFTs reached $3.4 million on the first day. But that’s not it; one piece in this drop called “The Golden One” is valued at over $9 million.
Steph Curry
The basketball icon’s celebrity NFT collection called “2974” commemorates his new all-time three-point record. One of the artworks sold for a hefty price of $1 million after a 72-hour bid, while the other pieces (worth around $499) sold out in merely two minutes.
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