Sean Feargal Sharkey OBE, the former lead vocalist of punk band The Undertones, has amassed a significant net worth from his career as a singer-songwriter, music manager, and political activist.
Beginning his musical journey in 1975, Feargal Sharkey joined The Undertones as a lead vocalist. They released several UK hit songs, including Teenage Kicks, Here Comes The Summer, My Perfect Cousin, and others.
After the band split in 1983, the 66– year-old singer started singing with a one-shot group, The Assembly, with electronic music band Depeche Mode member since Clarke. Their single “Never Never” was a no.4 hit in the UK Singles Chart.
Furthermore, Sharkey began his solo career in the music industry in 1984 and released his debut single, Listen to Your Father, in collaboration with Madness member Cathal Smyth of Zarjazz Records.
During his seven years as a solo singer from 1984 to 1991, Skarkey released several famous songs, including A Good Heart by Maria McKee, You Little Thief, and I’ve Got News for You.
Feargal Sharkey released three solo albums in his career span of seven years as a solo singer, including his eponymous debut album in 1984, his second album, Wish, in 1988, and his third album, Songs From The Mardi Gras, in 1991.
Moreover, Feargal Sharkey’s earnings as a singer and songwriter have amassed him an estimated income of around $9 million throughout his outstanding career span of over 16 years, which adds to his net worth.
Feargal Sharkey has also accumulated his income as a renowned music manager!
In 1992, Feargal Sharkey started focusing on the business side of the music industry and began working with several record companies.
Initially, he worked as A&R for Polymer Records and was upgraded to manager of EXP Ltd. after a few months. Likewise, Sharkey was a member of the Radio Authority from 1998 to 2005.
Similarly, after working with the Radio Authority for five years, Sharkey became the Chairman of the UK Government task force, Live Music Forum, in 2003 and the chief executive officer of UK Music in 2008.
After three years as CEO of UK Music, Sharkey became the creative industries specialist and strategist for Connection Associates in 2011 and has been with the company since then.
Throughout his exceptional career as a music manager, Sharkey has won several awards, including the Scott Piering Award, which the radio industry gives to recognize achievement in promoting music and educating radio colleagues about the music industry.
Sharkey also won the Bottle Award at the International Live Music Conference for outstanding contributions to the live music industry.
In addition to his music career, Feargal Sharkey is also a political activist. He is a lifelong fly fisherman and has organized several campaigns against the pollution of British rivers.
His YouTube channel has around 1.92k subscribers and 42 videos, with views ranging from 10k to 6 million. His songs are also famous on Spotify, with 317,185 monthly listeners. The royalties from his songs add to his income.
Considering all his earnings from his diverse musical career of over 49 years, Feargal Sharkey’s net worth is estimated to be around $13 million as of 2024, which might increase over time.
Additional Information
- Feargal Sharkey was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, on August 13, 1958. His father was an electrician, and he was one of ten siblings in his house. During his childhood, Sharkey and his family suffered from unemployment.
- His first job was Linesman Assistant Junior, which paid him £7.01 per week. He used to give £5 to his mother for housekeeping.
- Feargal received an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Hertfordshire in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of music and gained officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to music.
