Leo Sayer still collects sizable royalties from his 1976 hit “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” a tune that can generate as much as £200,000 a year, according to the singer himself.
From graphic design to chart‑topping fame
The 78‑year‑old began his career studying art before moving into commercial work, designing album covers and other promotional material. A stint as a hotel porter, which once involved rescuing guests from a fire, preceded his breakthrough as a commercial artist earning up to £75 a week. By the early 1970s he turned his creative talents toward songwriting and performing, releasing a string of hits that topped charts in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Among those early successes were “When I Need You,” which won a Grammy, and “The Show Must Go On,” a track later covered by Three Dog Night. Sayer’s debut album, Silverbird, reached number two on the UK album chart, and he soon found himself sharing stages with Roxy Music across Europe.
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Financial ups and downs
Sayer describes 1974 as the best financial year of his life, recalling that his manager, Adam Faith, would hand him £100,000 at a time, though the true earnings were likely higher. He later admitted that signing a power‑of‑attorney agreement with Faith left him unaware of the exact flow of money, meaning he may have missed out on larger sums. “I’d often be told I’d get £30,000 for this or that, when the real fee was £300,000,” he said, noting the difficulty of tracking his finances without professional help.
In recent years, the singer sold half of his song catalogue to an American music‑investment firm called Vinyl Wave. The deal, he explained, is now “bearing fruit,” providing a steady stream of income that supplements the earnings from his classic hits.
He also highlighted the ongoing revenue from “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” describing it as a “happy accident” that turned into a “big earner,” capable of delivering between £100,000 and £200,000 annually before taxes.
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He still tours, with a UK tour and a career‑spanning anthology CD currently in preparation.
Life down under
Sayer lives in New South Wales, Australia, with his wife, Donatella.
Given the enduring appeal of his 1970s catalog and the strategic sale of part of his publishing rights, Sayer appears positioned to sustain a comfortable income well into his later years, though the exact figures will continue to depend on royalty calculations and market trends.
