It's been reported that A-list clients Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber have cut ties with the music manager, leaving many wanting to know more about who Scooter Braun is.
Scooter Braun has made headlines following reports that several of his biggest clients have decided to cut ties. Music fans may recognise his name for the feud he has with Taylor Swift, which is a large part of the reason why Taylor is re-recording her albums. After Braun purchased Swift’s former label, Big Machine Records (and thus the rights to six of her albums), the singer-songwriter said, "My musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it." Taking the decision to re-record her albums has proved a success, with Taylor Swift tickets in huge demand.
But now Scooter Braun is involved in new controversy. Clients including Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande (who has also been in the headlines following her split from husband Dalton Gomez) have reportedly dropped Braun as their manager, and music fans want to know why. Here's everything we know about Scooter Braun and why his celebrity clients might be leaving him...
Who is Scooter Braun?
Scooter Braun is a music and talent manager and entrepreneur from Connecticut in the US. He began his career as a party promoter in Atlanta, but at just 20 years old the rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri hired him to become the head of marketing at his label So So Def.
Several years later, Braun's big break came in 2008, when he discovered Justin Bieber singing on YouTube and saw star potential. He signed Bieber to a record label he had formed with R&B star Usher - Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG) - and has managed the singer ever since.
Since then, Braun has grown a roster of A-list celebrity clients. Ariana Grande signed with Braun in 2013 and after the Manchester bombing, which claimed the lives of 22 concertgoers, Braun organised the One Love concert that helped raise millions to support the families of the victims.
Demi Lovato started working with Braun in 2019, saying on Instagram at the time: "Dreams came true for me. I officially have a NEW MANAGER. And not just any manager but the one and only Scooter Braun."
Braun also manages the careers of David Guetta, Carly Rae Jepsen and Black Eyed Peas to name just a few, and he is now CEO of HYBE America - the South Korean entertainment giant behind K-pop titans BTS. Earlier this year Braun helped the company purchase US hip-hop label Quality Control, whose acts include Quavo, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty and City Girls.
Why are artists leaving Scooter Braun?
There has been no confirmed reason as to why musicians are dropping Scooter Braun, and some of the reported splits have not been verified either.
Columbian singer J Balvin was the first client in 2023 to leave Braun's roster, and is now represented by Jay-Z's entertainment agency Roc Nation Management. The company said of the signing: "Looking to mentors who went from artists turned moguls like Jay-Z and Pharrell, J Balvin’s goal is to inspire other Latinos to dream big and work hard to uplift themselves and their communities."
Meanwhile, Demi Lovato has also dropped Braun, with sources telling Billboard that the move was "amicable" and "time for Lovato to go in a new direction." And this seems to be true, as on Sunday 21 August Braun posted a birthday message to her on his Instagram story, calling her "one of the kindest souls out there".
Ariana Grande has also reportedly dropped Scooter Braun according to several sources, though neither party has commented on the rumour and it's currently unclear whether Grande is severing all business ties with Braun outside of management.
Similarly, there are rumours that Justin Bieber has dropped Braun, reports which are also unconfirmed.
Braun reacted cryptically to the news on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), appearing to poke fun at the reports, writing "Breaking news... I'm no longer managing myself".
Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myselfAugust 22, 2023
Meanwhile, a source close to Braun told Variety, "All of Scooter Braun's clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as HYBE America CEO.
"People are spreading rumours based on what they know, but they are off. Scooter's team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like."
Who has reportedly dropped Scooter Braun?
- Ariana Grande
- Demi Lovato
- J Balvin
- Idina Menzel
- Justin Bieber
Who does Scooter Braun still manage?
- Ashley Graham
- Ava Max
- Asher Roth
- BabyJake
- Black Eyed Peas
- Callista Clark
- Carly Rae Jepson
- Dan + Shay
- David Guetta
- Eden
- Gunner Gehl
- Hilary Duff
- Jenna Raine
- Kaliii
- Kelly Rowland
- The Knocks
- Lil Dicky
- Paul Pogba
- PSY
- Push Baby
- Quavo
- Social House
- The Spencer Lee band
- Steve Angello
- The Kid Laroi
- The Scarlet Opera
- Tori Kelly
- The Wanted
- Watt
- YG
Scooter Braun net worth
Celebrity Net Worth reports that Scooter Braun's net worth is $500 million, thanks to his talent company SB Projects as well as the other businesses he has founded - which include record labels Schoolboy Records and RBMG Records, and holding company Ithaca Ventures.
After Hybe Corporation bought Ithaca in a deal that was estimated to be around $1.05 billion, Braun became CEO of Hybe's United States subsidiary. Braun also made millions throughout his feud with Taylor Swift, selling her six-album masters to private equity firm Shamrock Holdings for a reported $405 million.
In other celebrity news, Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps has revealed that she almost 'quit' football, while Victoria Beckham shared the reason she fell in love with husband David.
