Celebrity childhood homes: where the stars grew up.

Rihanna is a proud Bajan woman and has always paid great homage to her upbringing in the Caribbean. Just before she burst into superstardom as a teenager, she lived in this colourful bungalow in Bridgetown. The property, known as 'Sonia Ville', has two bedrooms, one bathroom — and you can actually stay there via Airbnb. Oh, and the street has now been renamed 'Rihanna Drive' of course.

Selena Gomez.

Selena Gomez's childhood home in Grand Prairie, Texas. Image: Zillow.
Before she was a plucky young Disney star, Selena Gomez was living a normal life in this little house in Grand Prairie, Texas. "I visit this place every chance I get," she once wrote on Instagram after stopping by the house in which she lived until she was 13 years old. It was in this very home (where she lived with mum, Mandy) she found out she booked Barney — and the rest as they say, is history.

Madonna.

Madonna. Image: Getty.

Madonna's childhood home in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Image: Getty.
It's hard to ever imagine Madonna as anything other than a megastar, but once upon a time she was just a young girl living in Michigan with big dreams. The idyllic five-bedroom home in Rochester Hills has since been remodelled following an arson attack, but if you squint, you can imagine a teenage Madonna dancing around in her bedroom with a hairbrush in her hand.

Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift. Image: Getty.

Taylor Swift's childhood home in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Image: Getty.
Taylor Swift often references her upbringing in her music, and it's widely known she grew up in the lush country surrounds of Pennsylvania. Before her family relocated to Nashville to further her music career, they lived in this stunning five-bedroom Colonial-style home in Wyomissing. The property featured a grand staircase and a stately dining room.

Kanye West.

Kanye West. Image: Getty.

Kanye West's childhood home in Chicago. Image: Realtor.
Kanye West is now one of the most lucrative celebrities in the world, but once upon a time he was living in a small house in the suburbs of Chicago with his late mother, Donda. The three-bedroom, one-bathroom South Shore home has been sold numerous times since Donda sold the property in 2003, but it's clear it still has a special place in Kanye's heart. Over the past few years, he has built replicas of the home and has used them for various concerts and listening parties.

Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow. Image: Getty.

Gwyneth Paltrow's childhood home in Santa Monica. Image: Compass.
When it comes to nepo babies, Gwyneth Paltrow is one of the originals — no quaint cottages or rundown shacks here, folks. Among Paltrow's multiple family homes is the stunning Santa Monica abode she lived in with her parents, Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner. The mansion was built in 1913 and has six bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, a grand fireplace and (of course) a movie theatre room. While the property is no longer in the Paltrow family, it was most recently listed for sale in 2022 for almost $27 million.

Miley Cyrus.

Miley Cyrus. Image: Getty.

Miley Cyrus' childhood home in California. Image: Zillow.
Miley Cyrus has never shied away from her Tennessee roots, but once she landed her star role on Hannah Montana, her family packed up and moved to Hollywood. The house she grew up in was situated in Toluca Lake, California and was... let's just say, incredibly luxurious. The Tuscan-style home was full of lavish features like a chef's kitchen, a home theatre and a guitar display room that no doubt led to plenty of family jam nights.

Leonardo DiCaprio.

Leonardo DiCaprio. Image: Getty.

Leonardo DiCaprio's childhood home in Los Angeles. Image: Getty.
Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio can often be seen diving off mega-yachts in the South of France, but back in the '70s, he grew up in what he calls "a very rough neighbourhood in East Los Angeles". The small shack is just a stone's throw from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood but was anything but glamorous, with DiCaprio often referring to his childhood as "hardcore".

Ariana Grande.

Ariana Grande. Image: Getty.

Ariana Grande's childhood home in Boca Raton, Florida. Image: Lang Realty.
Before she made it big on Broadway, Nickelodeon and beyond, Grande grew up in this five-bedroom family home in the Les Jardin subdivision of Boca Raton, Florida. The singer looks back fondly on her time there, and says it was the perfect place to grow up. "I'll always have so many positive memories of it personally and professionally, from our annual Christmas Eve party and family reunions, to a great pool party we hosted when I graduated middle school. I'll never forget standing in the kitchen when I found out I had booked my first Broadway show, or the recording studio next to my room, which helped launch my music career," she said in an interview with Coldwell Banker.

Demi Lovato.

Demi Lovato. Image: Getty.

Demi Lovato's childhood home in Texas. Image: Google Earth.
Much like her fellow Disney child star Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato also grew up in the suburbs of Texas. After her parents' divorce, Lovato moved into this three-bedroom home in Colleyville, Texas with her mother, step-father and two siblings, where she would spend most of her formative years before hitting the big time.

Britney Spears.

Britney Spears. Image: Getty.

Britney Spears' childhood home in Louisiana. Image: Realtor.
In recent years, much light has been shone on the personal struggles of Britney Spears. Before she became a pop singing sensational and experienced some tragic hardships, Spears was a young girl growing up in a quiet neighbourhood in Kentwood, Louisiana. The small brick home looks fairly innocuous from the outside, but inside, there is a custom-built dance studio, which was installed for Spears to practice for performances.

The Jonas Brothers.

Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas. Image: Getty.

The Jonas Brothers' childhood home in New Jersey. Image: Zillow.
Before they were the 'Jonas Brothers', Nick, Joe and Kevin were just young lads growing up in New Jersey with their parents and younger sibling, Frankie. They were all raised in this cute family home in Wyckoff, where their father was a senior pastor at the local church. They later went on to relocate to Los Angeles to chase their musical dreams.

Eminem.

Eminem. Image: Getty.

Eminem's childhood home in Detroit. Image: Zillow.
If you've seen 8 Mile, you'll know the rich picture it paints of rapper Eminem's difficult upbringing in the rough neighbourhoods of Detroit. The house he lived in with his mother was dilapidated and overgrown — sadly, years later it was burned down. Now all that remains is an empty plot of land and the memories of a rapper who was bursting to make it big.

Justin Bieber.

Justin Bieber. Image: Getty.

Justin Bieber's childhood home in Canada. Image: Getty.
Remember all of those YouTube videos that ultimately launched Justin Bieber into becoming one of the biggest musicians in the world? Well, they were filmed right here in this quaint little house in Startford, Canada. When Bieber's grandparents listed the house for sale in 2014, prospective buyers were tickled to see that the singer's childhood bedroom — decorated in Toronto Maple Leafs merch — was still very much intact.

Beyoncé.

Beyoncé. Image: Getty.

Beyoncé's childhood home in Houston, Texas. Image: Getty.
Beyoncé certainly lives the high life now, but before she hit superstardom, she grew up in Texas. Although, compared to some of her fellow contemporaries, Bey lived a pretty comfortable existence in Houston in this charming home, which had white windows, beautiful hardwood floors and a living room with space for a piano. Unfortunately, in December 2023, the home suffered damage after a fire started on Christmas morning.

Gigi and Bella Hadid.

Gigi and Bella Hadid. Image: Getty.

Gigi and Bella Hadid's childhood home in Beverly Hills. Image: The Agency.
No other nepo babies quite compare to the Hadid sisters when it comes to the lavish home in which they grew up. Gigi and Bella are now two of the most famous models in the world, but back in the day, they were just the daughters of uber-rich developer Mohammed Hadid and model Yolanda Hadid. The $1.3 billion home was designed by Mohammed himself and boasts six bedrooms, a Turkish bath, a banquet dining room, a huge backyard and pool, chandeliers a'plenty, and a theatre room.

Jennifer Lopez.

Jennifer Lopez. Image: Getty.

Jennifer Lopez's childhood home in The Bronx. Image: Zillow.
Even though Jennifer Lopez now lives in a palatial $1.3 billion home in Bel Air, she was once Jenny from the Block. Before all the rocks that she got, singer, dancer and actor JLo was living a humble existence in the Bronx with her parents and sisters. She famously returned to her home a few years ago and had an interaction with a man who now lives in the house. In a video clip that went viral, Lopez tells the man she used to live there and he... has no idea who she is. Lol.

Feature image: Getty.