Music mogul Scooter Braun said he’ll be retiring from talent management on Monday after 23 years in show business.
The record executive is famously known for discovering the teenage Justin Bieber on YouTube and helping to launch the singer to international super-stardom.
He’s also managed several big names over the years including Demi Lovato, Kanye West (now known as “Ye”), Kelly Rowland, Idina Menzel and the Black Eyes Peas.
In August 2023, a slew of clients left Braun’s management company, SB Management, such as Idina Menzel, Demi Lovato and J Balvin. Bieber and Grande were also rumored to be cutting ties with Braun, but a source close to the entrepreneur denied the claim.
“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,” the insider told Newsweek at the time.
“People are spreading rumors 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.”
Newsweek has reached out to Scooter Braun for comment.
Here’s everything we know about why Braun is leaving the music industry.
Why Is Scooter Braun Retiring?
Braun announced his retirement in a lengthy social media statement on Monday.
The 43-year-old said he was stepping back from talent management to focus on being a father. Braun shares three children with his ex-wife, Yael Cohen. The couple were married for eight years, but divorced in 2022, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
Braun will continue as CEO of HYBE America. He was named the sole CEO of the South Korean entertainment company in January 2023, after previously sharing the title with HYBE veteran Lenzo Yoon. The company internationally operates record labels, a talent agency, a music production division and more.
“After 23 years, this chapter as a music manager has come to an end,” Braun wrote on Instagram.
Braun said after being “on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week” for over two decades, he was ready to move on, claiming that his personal life “took some hits” due to his heavy workload.
“I came to the realization that my kids were three superstars I wasn’t willing to lose,” he continued. “The sacrifices I was once willing to make I could no longer justify. It was time to step into a new role.”
However, Braun said “it’s a strange feeling” to leave the industry after so many years as a talent manager, with the business magnate asking himself: “‘Who would I be without them?’”
“Over the past two years I have been heading towards this destination, but it wasn’t until last summer that this new chapter became a reality,” Braun said.
“One of my biggest clients and friends told me that they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction. We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt, I saw it as a sign.”
“You see, life doesn’t hand you your plan, God hands you your plan,” he continued. “And God has been pushing me in this direction for some time.”
The Scooter Braun Controversy Explained
In August 2023, rumors began to circle that clients were ditching Braun as manager.
Lovato described the split as “amicable.” A source told People that Ariana Grande had departed on “friendly terms” with Braun to try “something new,” while other sources claimed the singer was still under contract with SB Management.
J Balvin left Braun’s management for Jay-Z’s record label, Roc Nation, in May 2023. Idina Menzel stopped working with Braun in January 2023, although news of her exit didn’t break until the summer. A few weeks later, representatives for Carly Rae Jepsen, Asher Roth and BabyJake told the Associated Press their clients were no longer working with Braun.
There was much speculation as to why on social media. Although a reason for the exodus was never confirmed.
Braun had also previously hit headlines for his beef with Taylor Swift. The record executive’s feud with the pop star was sparked in 2019, after he purchased Swift’s first label, Big Machine Records.
As the label owned the rights to Swift’s first six albums, Braun’s acquisition of the company meant the rights shifted to him. The 34-year-old singer accused Braun—who had also managed Ye during his public feud with Swift—of “incessant, manipulative bullying,” and began re-recording the albums as “Taylor’s Versions.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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