Scooter Braun, the music mogul who made headlines for a long-running dispute over Taylor Swift’s master recordings, has reportedly been left by two of his biggest clients.
According to Billboard, both Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato have parted ways with the manager.
After the Manchester bombing, which claimed the lives of 22 of her fans, Braun organised the One Love benefit concert that helped raise millions of pounds to support the families of the victims.
Grande has not released an album since 2020’s Positions, and is currently working on the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked.
It is unclear whether she is severing all ties with Braun outside of management.
Demi Lovato started working with Braun in 2019, saying 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.”
An unnamed source told Variety that their split was amicable. Indeed, on Sunday, Braun posted a birthday message to Lovato on his Instagram story, calling her “one of the kindest souls out there”.
The manager is probably best known for his feud with Taylor Swift, which began in 2019 when he bought her former record label Big Machine for $300 million (£227m) through his investment group Ithaca Holdings.
That meant he gained control of the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums, which she saw as an act of aggression that “stripped me of my life’s work”.
Braun is now HYBE America’s CEO and earlier this year helped the company purchase US hip-hop label Quality Control, whose acts include Quavo, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty and City Girls.
