9 Celebrities Who Have Entered the NFT World, From Leo Messi to Justin Bieber

The hype around NFTs took off in 2021 and doesn’t show any signs of slowing in 2022. Here are some of the noteworthy celebrities that have dipped their hand into the NFT pool.

You can’t escape it: Every day, someone is talking about NFTs, the Metaverse or why cryptocurrency is the future of money. And since the release of Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks and other recognisable NFTs, the digital art world has grown tremendously.

Whether they’re your co-worker, a family member or a global superstar like Leo Messi, it seems like everyone, everywhere is jumping onto the trend. Even K-pop supergroup BTS is rumoured to be launching their own. In Hong Kong and around the globe, here are some of the biggest celebrities who have climbed aboard the NFT hype train.

Celebrities who have entered the NFT world

Shawn Yue Man-lok

Hong Kong actor and singer Shawn Yue Man-lok entered into the NFT world through a collaboration with Christie’s. The former model has been building his personal collection and showcased them in an online auction in September 2021. The collection included highly sought-after NFT pieces from Bored Ape Yacht Club, Cryptopunks and Meebits. On the big day, Yue celebrated his 40th birthday as well as raised revenue to be donated to Make-a-Wish Hong Kong foundation.

Justin Bieber

If, like millions of others, you follow Justin Bieber on Instagram, you’ll probably have seen his collection of NFTs, especially of inBetweeners; Biebs has shown his love for the variety of colourful bear illustrations. The recently minted collection of 10,777 images created by artist Gianpiero, inBetweeners has also seen lots of love from other celebrities, including Tom Holland and Snoop Dogg. 

Steph Curry

Not only have NFTs caught the attention of artists, they have also attracted numerous athletes. Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry personally released a collection of 2,974 NFTs, each priced at US$333. Curry’s collection features digital replicas of his shoe-line, Genesis Curry Flows, showcasing the exact pairs he wore for his incredible on-court feats. With the collection already sold out, the virtual sneakers promise his fans to use and show them off across multiple metaverses and virtual games.

Gunna

Atlanta rapper Gunna is the latest in the rap scene to purchase his own unique BAYC NFT. Revealing his purchase and tattoo process on Instagram, Gunna posted a video of how he did it through the cryptocurrency MoonPay, for US$300,000. His love for the digital art piece goes deep enough that he named the green-sunglassed Bored Ape “Butta” — he even got it tattooed on his calf.

Lionel Messi

Metaverse? More like Messiverse. The man who many call “the best footballer in the word”, Lionel Messi launched his NFT collection in August 2021. The collection featured three digital art pieces: “Man from the Future”, “Worth the Weight” and “The King Piece”, all created by artist BossLogic and depicting historic moments from the footballer’s career. His star fame was on display as the NFTs’ sales spiked to US $3.4 million on the first day of the launch.

Jimmy Fallon

Celebrity and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has been part of the NFT clan for a while. Fallon took to Twitter to share the latest addition to his collection, a simple Bored Ape, dressed in what appears to be a sailor’s outfit. The NFT was purchased for just over US$225,000.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg stepped into the NFT space with an introduction of his collection called “A Journey with the Dogg”. The collection is expected to include a path down the rapper’s experiences and greatest memories — think quotes and moments captured in pictures. It also features an original track titled “NFT”, and a Dogecoin-inspired cryptocurrency, “Snoop Dogge Coins”. The artist expressed his passion for the launch, saying “I’ve seen the game change over the years from analog to digital, and I’m always happier when the technology lets the fans connect with the artists. NFTs are an amazing innovation, and it is an honor to do my first drop with Crypto.com/NFT.”

Hero image courtesy of Sebastien Muylaert/Getty Images, featured image courtesy of @leomessi