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Scooter Braun Quits Management: The Series Of Fueds With Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber & Ariana Grande Explained
Despite his major contributions, Braun has failed to find his way out of controversies with big stars like Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and it is reported there was an exodus of clients from his company.
Scooter Braun is stepping down from the pedestal as the famed music mogul to start a new chapter of his life. The record executive announced his retirement from talent management on Instagram on Monday after serving 23 years in show business, managing A-listers like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande among others.
The music manager said he intends to focus more on his family and meanwhile, will continue to serve as the sole CEO of HYBE-America.
Despite his major contributions, Braun has failed to find his way out of controversies with big stars like Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, and others. It is reported there was an exodus of clients from his management company in 2023. Even his best artists – Bieber and Grande reportedly severed ties with him.
What is Scooter Braun’s feud with Taylor Swift?
Scooter Braun, 43, gained notoriety for his highly public feud with popstar Taylor Swift. In 2019, the entrepreneur acquired the rights to Swift’s first six albums after he purchased her label, Big Machine Records. This sparked a beef with the Cruel Summer singer as she claimed it was a feat of “incessant, manipulative bullying” and her “worst-case scenario," per Newsweek.
Braun purchasing the label meant Swift would have to pay 300 million USD to gain ownership of her original albums, per Vox. As a result, the 34-year-old singer began re-recording her former albums as Taylor’s Versions.
Their disparities also stemmed from the fact that Braun had managed and maintained a good relationship with Swift's foe, Kanye West, now Ye. Reports claim that the talent manager wanted to sell Swift’s originals back to her.
Ever since the controversy made headlines, the Braun-Swift mishap has become a pop-culture fiasco and with the general idea about Braun’s poor reputation.
Did Justin Bieber part ways with Scooter Braun?
In the wake of a series of top-notch clients parting ways with the music mogul, rumors circled around Braun’s greatest discovery, Justin Bieber also moving on from him.
A rep for Justin Bieber confirmed to People on June 16 that he and Braun are not currently involved in any sort of business or management. They also updated that the singer will not be linked with SB Projects moving forward.
Braun discovered the Baby singer on YouTube in 2008 and served more as a mentor to Bieber than a manager because he was only 13 at that time.
The duo’s relationship does not stink of a rift as Bieber is advancing toward a new phase of his life and career. The star recently announced the pregnancy news of his wife Hailey Bieber. He is also following the path of spirituality and religion currently.
An insider told People that Bieber has reportedly been working on a record for the last six months but an effort from Braun and SB management is still due as the duo haven’t talked in months. “Justin’s been working on his new record for the last six months. Scooter and SB Projects have not set up one session or done one thing for this [new] record,” the source told the outlet.
Why did Ariana Grande leave Scooter Braun?
Another of Braun’s longest and premiere clients, Ariana Grande is also reportedly leaving him and SBP. But much like Bieber, the God Is A Woman singer has no hard feelings for the manager who had helped launch her career all these years, and is parting ways on “friendly” terms.
The reason behind Grande’s departure was her wish to “try something new” and build her own team with her mother overseeing most of the work as she’d “outgrown” Braun, per a Forbes report.
However, an insider later insisted that Grande is still under contract and negotiations have been underway for months, per Newsweek. The source alleged that people are spreading the wrong rumors and SB Projects are still managing their biggest stars yet, Grande and Bieber while working through a “new structure” at the firm.
Ariana Grande, 30, had reportedly fired Braun multiple times and rehired him later. The earliest report of her parting ways with the talent manager came in 2016, per Vulture.
Which other artists have left him?
There exists a long list of artists who have moved on from Scooter Braun despite associating with him initially. News of Demi Lovato’s amicable split from Braun surfaced in August 2023 and the singer was seeking a new management firm then. A specific reason was not established.
Similarly, Broadway star Idina Menzel also left the veteran manager in January 2023 after signing with him in 2019.
Other stars who stopped working with Braun are Carly Rae Jepsen, Baby Jake, and Asher Roth, per the Associated Press. J Balvin parted ways with him to sign with Jay-Z’s label, Roc Nation last year.
A solid reason for Braun’s clients leaving SB Management never came to light but rumors around toxic working environments, his feud with Swift, and ill-treatment of artists have often floated up during his career.
ALSO READ: Music Manager Scooter Braun Retires After 23 Years Of Service; Says ‘Time To Step Into A New Role’
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