Billy Gilman Net Worth

What Is Billy Gilman's Net Worth?

Billy Gilman is an American country and bluegrass singer and songwriter who has a net worth of $4 million.

Billy Gilman became one of the most successful child stars in country music history when his debut single, "One Voice," turned him into a national sensation in 2000. He was just 12 years old when the song reached the country Top 20 and crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album, also titled "One Voice," went double Platinum, while Guinness World Records recognized Gilman as the youngest performer to earn a Platinum album in the United States. His early success led to appearances with some of country's biggest stars, an American Music Award, and a Grammy nomination.

Gilman's career changed abruptly when puberty altered his singing voice, forcing him to step away from the kind of relentless touring and recording schedule he had maintained as a child. He eventually rebuilt his voice and career, culminating in a major national comeback as the runner-up on season 11 of "The Voice" in 2016. After experimenting with adult pop and country music, Gilman returned to his roots through bluegrass, releasing a series of singles and the 2025 EP "Delta Queen."

Early Life

William Wendell Gilman III was born on May 24, 1988, in Westerly, Rhode Island, and grew up in nearby Hope Valley. He began singing as a very young child, encouraged by his mother and grandmother.

Gilman began working with vocal coach Angela Bacari when he was around eight years old. Through a series of introductions, he eventually came to the attention of Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, which helped lead to Nashville industry connections and a recording contract with Epic Nashville.

Unlike many young country performers, Gilman did not grow up in Nashville, Texas, or another traditional country-music center. His childhood was based in Rhode Island even as his professional career increasingly took him to Nashville and onto major stages around the country.

"One Voice"

Gilman's career exploded in 2000 with the release of "One Voice." The song reached #20 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and #38 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the youngest solo performer ever to score a Top 40 country hit.

His debut album, "One Voice," arrived in June 2000 and reached #2 on Billboard's country albums chart. Within weeks, it had sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and by August Gilman became the youngest performer ever to earn a Platinum album in the United States. The album ultimately went double Platinum.

The success was extraordinary for an artist who had barely entered his teens. Gilman appeared at major awards shows, performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and shared stages with artists including Reba McEntire, George Jones, and LeAnn Rimes.

"One Voice" earned Gilman a Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The song itself received a separate Best Country Song nomination for writers Don Cook and David Malloy.

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Child-Star Success

Gilman followed his debut with "Classic Christmas" later in 2000. The holiday album was certified Gold, extending a remarkable first year in which he went from an unknown child singer in Rhode Island to one of the most visible young performers in country music.

His second full-length studio album, "Dare to Dream," arrived in 2001 and also achieved Gold certification. Songs from the period included "She's My Girl," "Elisabeth," and "There's a Hero."

Gilman continued recording for Epic with "Music Through Heartsongs: Songs Based on the Poems of Mattie J.T. Stepanek" in 2003. The project set poems written by young author Mattie Stepanek to music.

Gilman's official biography credits his recordings with more than 10 million worldwide sales over the course of his career. The overwhelming majority of his initial commercial breakthrough occurred while he was still a child.

Voice Change and Career Interruption

Gilman's greatest career challenge came not from a failed album or a change in musical tastes, but from puberty.

As his voice changed, Gilman found that he could no longer sing with the consistency he had relied on as a child. He later recalled that his voice could work for one song and then disappear, and doctors eventually put him on vocal rest.

The disruption lasted years. Gilman has said it took roughly two and a half years before he could confidently perform a full concert again, followed by extensive retraining as he learned how to use his adult voice.

The timing was particularly difficult because his childhood career had involved recording, television appearances, interviews, and more than 90 concerts a year. Instead of simply transitioning smoothly into an adult career, Gilman effectively had to start over.

During this period, he continued writing songs in Nashville and remained active in charity work. He later described the experience as one of the most difficult periods of his life.

Adult Recording Career

After leaving Epic, Gilman released "Everything and More" in 2005 and a self-titled album in 2006 through Image Entertainment.

He continued recording independently over the following decade while trying to establish an adult musical identity separate from the child-star image associated with "One Voice."

In 2014, Gilman publicly came out as gay. He said at the time that he had worried about how being openly gay might affect his career in country music, but he also wanted to live openly and use his experience to help others.

That same period marked the beginning of another professional reinvention. Gilman began leaning more heavily toward pop-oriented material as he looked for a style that showcased the larger adult voice he had developed through years of retraining.

"The Voice"

Gilman's biggest comeback arrived in 2016 when he auditioned for season 11 of NBC's "The Voice."

For his blind audition, Gilman performed Adele's "When We Were Young." All four coaches—Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, and Blake Shelton—turned their chairs.

Gilman chose Levine as his coach and advanced all the way to the season finale. His performances included "Man in the Mirror," "All I Ask," "Anyway," and "My Way."

He ultimately finished as the runner-up behind Sundance Head. Although Gilman did not win the competition, the show reintroduced him to millions of viewers who remembered him as a child and demonstrated how dramatically his voice had matured.

His performances from "The Voice" generated tens of millions of online views and produced several strong-selling digital singles.

Return to Country and Bluegrass

After "The Voice," Gilman continued releasing music and touring, but his most significant recent musical shift came when he embraced bluegrass.

He signed with Pinecastle Records and released "Roller Coaster" in 2023 as his first bluegrass single. The move was not as unusual as it initially appeared: Gilman grew up hearing bluegrass through his grandparents and described the genre as a natural return to his musical roots.

He followed with "Delta Queen," which reached #2 on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay Chart, and "That's Bluegrass to Me," a collaboration with bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent.

In 2024, Gilman released "'Til You Come Home." The following year he released "Waylon," created in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the five-song "Delta Queen" EP through Pinecastle Records.

Gilman co-wrote all five tracks on the EP with collaborators Dan Murph and Philip Douglas. The project represented a notable evolution from the music he recorded as a child, with Gilman participating not only as a vocalist but as a songwriter shaping his own material.

Charity Work

Charitable work has been a consistent part of Gilman's career since his teenage years.

He became involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association through its annual Jerry Lewis telethon and served several terms as the organization's National Youth Chairman beginning in 2003. Gilman later said his work helped raise approximately $2.5 million for the organization.

In 2012, he organized and performed on the charity single "The Choice" for Soles4Souls. The recording featured a large group of country performers, including Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, Randy Travis, and LeAnn Rimes.

Gilman has continued incorporating charitable causes into his music, including his 2025 partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for "Waylon."

Personal Life

Billy Gilman married Anthony Carbone on August 23, 2024, in Rhode Island. The couple met in 2022 and became engaged the following year.

Their wedding was held on a 45-acre horse farm and attended by approximately 115 friends and family members. Gilman surprised Carbone during the reception with a musical performance.

Gilman has remained closely connected to Rhode Island throughout his career despite spending substantial periods working in Nashville and elsewhere. More than 25 years after the release of "One Voice," he continues touring and recording while maintaining a career that has moved from child-country stardom through pop competition television and back into roots-oriented bluegrass music.

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