Kim Carnes Net Worth 2025: How ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ Became a Lifetime Paycheck
When Bette Davis Eyes stormed radio in 1981, it didn’t just make Kim Carnes a household name — it built her fortune.
Four decades later, the smoky-voiced singer-songwriter from Los Angeles is still quietly earning from that single song and the deep catalog that followed.
As of 2025, Kim Carnes’s net worth is estimated at $8 million, a testament to how one perfectly timed hit and a lifetime of writing can sustain an artist long after the spotlight fades.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Born July 20, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Kim Carnes was raised in Pasadena by parents far removed from show business — her mother a hospital administrator, her father an attorney.
Yet by age three, she had already told anyone who’d listen that she would become a singer.
Her neighbor, future musician David Lindley, jammed with her in garages while the West Coast folk scene simmered.
By the early ’60s she’d signed a publishing deal with producer Jimmy Bowen, sharing demo studio time with then-unknown writers Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and J.D. Souther.
Those sessions would shape the textured songwriting instincts that later defined her career — and her income stream.
Finding Her Voice in the ’70s
Carnes released her debut album Rest on Me in 1971, but success came slowly.
She wrote songs for David Cassidy, performed with The Sugar Bears, and quietly collected checks from soundtrack placements like Vanishing Point and Sing Out for Jesus.
In 1976, her song Love Comes from Unexpected Places won the American Song Festival’s Grand Prize and Japan’s Tokyo Song Festival.
The following year Barbra Streisand recorded the track — and later another Carnes composition, Stay Away — cementing her reputation in the business as a songwriter who could cross genres and continents.
Those writing credits laid the foundation for decades of songwriting royalties, even before her own chart breakthrough.
The Moment Everything Changed: Bette Davis Eyes
In 1981, Carnes recorded Bette Davis Eyes, originally written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss but radically re-arranged with her raspy, haunting tone.
The single spent nine weeks at #1 in the U.S., sold more than eight million copies worldwide, and won two Grammy Awards — for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
It propelled her album Mistaken Identity to #1 on the Billboard 200 and turned Carnes into one of the highest-paid female artists of the decade.
The cover of Kim Carnes’ 1981 album Mistaken Identity, which featured the Grammy-winning global hit “Bette Davis Eyes” and became her most successful release.
Industry analysts estimate the Bette Davis Eyes royalties value at $3–4 million in total lifetime earnings, including publishing and performance income.
Every new sync placement — from Netflix series to TikTok clips — adds another layer of passive income to the Bette Davis Eyes legacy.
Even the real Bette Davis wrote Carnes to thank her for reviving her public image — and the two women became friends.
Royalties That Never Stopped
Unlike many ’80s pop stars, Kim Carnes’s fortune didn’t vanish when the charts moved on.
She and her husband Dave Ellingson, whom she married in 1967, co-wrote numerous hits, including “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” (with Kenny Rogers) and “The Heart Won’t Lie” (later a #1 country hit for Reba McEntire and Vince Gill).
Both songs remain staples on classic-country and soft-rock playlists, continuing to deliver Kim Carnes songwriting royalties through ASCAP and international airplay.
Music-industry accountants estimate that a legacy catalog of Carnes’s size could still generate $200,000–$400,000 annually in residuals — a reliable income base for her $8 million net worth.
Nashville Years: Kim Carnes Now
By the 1990s, Carnes had traded Hollywood glitz for Nashville’s songwriter culture, penning tracks for younger artists while keeping her public life quiet.
She released View from the House (1988) and later Chasin’ Wild Trains (2004), albums that earned critical respect if not chart dominance.
She collaborated with Neil Diamond on Hooked on the Memory of You and contributed songs to films including The Contender and Loggerheads.
In Nashville she became something rare: a Grammy-winning pop singer who could walk into any writing room and hold her own among country greats.
Kim Carnes Responds to JoJo Siwa’s ‘Bette Davis Eyes’ Cover
Even at 80, Kim Carnes is still watching over her signature song — and she’s not afraid to share her thoughts.
In July 2025, Carnes made headlines after reportedly commenting on JoJo Siwa’s new cover of “Bette Davis Eyes.” In a now-deleted Instagram post that circulated on Reddit, Carnes allegedly wrote:
“There’s a difference between singing a song… and embodying it. I’ve always believed authenticity is what makes music timeless. I’m forever grateful to be the voice behind this one — ‘Bette Davis Eyes.’”
Though she never mentioned Siwa by name, fans quickly connected the dots. Siwa, 22, had been teasing her version across social media before finally releasing it to streaming platforms on July 10.
The response was divided — Gen Z loved it, while longtime fans defended Carnes’s original. Yet the publicity had a measurable effect: Bette Davis Eyes spiked in Spotify streams and YouTube searches, pushing fresh royalty income to Carnes.
It’s a modern reminder that nostalgia can still be lucrative — and that authenticity, even in debate, sells.
Awards and Recognition
Kim Carnes has won two Grammy Awards and received eight additional nominations, along with American Song Festival and Tokyo Song Festival honors.
Her voice — often compared to Rod Stewart or Bonnie Tyler — became one of the most distinctive of its era.
She also joined the all-star recording of “We Are the World” in 1985, cementing her place among the defining artists of the decade.
Personal Life and Real Estate
Carnes and Ellingson raised two sons, Collin and Ry, while continuing to write together.
So, where does Kim Carnes live?
She resides in Nashville, Tennessee, in a comfortable but understated home typical of the city’s creative elite.
While property details are private, comparable homes in her neighborhood are valued between $1–2 million.
Carnes has long favored privacy over luxury — a financial choice that helped her preserve wealth where many contemporaries didn’t.
Net Worth Breakdown (2025 Estimate)
| Source of Wealth | Estimated Value (USD) |
|---|---|
| Songwriting & Publishing Royalties | $4 million |
| Album Sales & Touring Revenue | $2 million |
| Licensing & Sync Deals | $1 million |
| Real Estate & Other Assets | $1 million |
| Total Estimated Net Worth (2025) | $8 million |
Cultural Legacy and Streaming Royalties
Streaming revived Carnes’s earnings in the 2020s.
Bette Davis Eyes alone surpasses 100 million Spotify plays, generating new royalties every month.
The track appears in playlists from Stranger Things to American Horror Story, introducing her to Gen Z listeners.
In 2023, a slowed-down remix went viral on TikTok, briefly pushing the song back into global charts.
That viral afterlife keeps both her reputation — and her royalty statements — alive.
Kim Carnes People Also Ask
What was Kim Carnes’ biggest hit?
Kim Carnes’s biggest hit was “Bette Davis Eyes,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks in 1981 and won two Grammy Awards. It remains one of the most recognizable songs of the 1980s.
Where is Kim Carnes today?
Kim Carnes today lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she continues to write music with her husband, Dave Ellingson, and occasionally performs at songwriter events.
Did Kim Carnes write “Bette Davis Eyes”?
No. “Bette Davis Eyes” was originally written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss in 1974. Kim Carnes’s 1981 version reimagined the song with new chords and a haunting synth-pop feel that made it a worldwide hit.
What was Kim Carnes’ one-hit wonder?
While Kim Carnes had other successful singles, “Bette Davis Eyes” is often considered her one-hit wonder because it was her only song to reach #1 on the U.S. charts and achieve global dominance.
How much did Kim Carnes make from “Bette Davis Eyes”?
Industry analysts estimate she earned several million dollars from the song’s initial success and continues to collect streaming and licensing royalties today.
What are Kim Carnes’s songwriting royalties worth?
Experts estimate her catalog still generates between $200,000 and $400,000 annually from publishing rights and performance royalties.
Where does Kim Carnes live now?
She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and longtime collaborator Dave Ellingson.
How many Grammy wins does Kim Carnes have?
Kim Carnes has won two Grammy Awards and received eight additional nominations.
Final Thought
Kim Carnes’s career proves that in music, a timeless song is the best retirement plan.
Her raspy voice may have faded from pop radio, but its echoes still generate income every time a film cue, playlist, or cover version revives that unforgettable chorus.
More than forty years after Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes remains one of the few artists to turn a single song into a lifelong annuity — and an enduring place in pop history.
