Claire Boucher, the musician known as Grimes and former partner of Elon Musk, has had more success selling digital assets than her tunes. In a recent interview with Wired, she said the $5.8 million she made from selling an NFT collection on the Nifty Gateway platform in 2021 was more than she’s ever made from music.
“[The NFT collection] was on my brother. He had a real vision and we ended up with one of the first big ones,” Grimes said. “It really changed my life.”
Despite the collection’s success, Grimes lamented the state of crypto now.
“I am sad about what happened to NFTs and crypto because it quickly became polluted with people trying to make as much money as possible,” she said. “But I do want to think about compensating artists, especially digital artists. And I hope we can come back when the aggro niche fades.”
Grimes’ silent crypto career
Grimes released her first album “Geidi Primes” in 2010 and has since become known for her energetic electric pop music. In 2018, Grimes began dating billionaire and social network owner Elon Musk, with two children before divorcing in 2022.
After the success of her first NFT project, Grimes quietly made her appearance in the crypto industry.
Last year, she helped launch a $100 million creator fund with the Avalanche Foundation called the Culture Catalyst, in which she planned to create an “intergalactic metaverse children’s book.”
Grimes also partnered with TikTok when the popular social media app planned to launch an NFT collection in 2021.