Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande have parted ways with manager Scooter Braun, according to reports.
The music mogul is one of the most successful managers in the world, with clients including Justin Bieber, David Guetta, Black Eyed Peas, Ava Max and Carly Rae Jepsen, per his official website.
Braun first rose to fame in 2008 after helping launch the career of a then-12-year-old Bieber, after seeing him performing on YouTube, and has since gone on to represent him for 15 years. In recent years, however, Braun has faced controversy after apparently denying Taylor Swift her masters’ recordings.
Now, it has been reported by various US media outlets that the famous music manager has parted ways with two of his big-name clients: Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato.
The news of Lovato ending her working relationship with Braun comes from Variety, which reported that, although the reasons for the split are unknown, the separation was “amicable”.
Lovato first announced her management with Braun in 2019, saying at the time that the partnership was like “dreams came true” for her.
“I officially have a NEW MANAGER. And not just any manager but the one and only Scooter Braun,” she said (via Sky News). “Couldn’t be happier, inspired and excited to begin this next chapter – thank you for believing in me and for being a part of this new journey.”
Despite the decision being reportedly ‘amicable’, the outlet also reports that the timing could prove difficult if rumours of the split turn out to be true. This comes as the former Disney Channel star is on the verge of releasing her new album ‘Revamped’, which sees her share some re-recorded rock versions of her famous songs.
As for Grande, the pop star has worked with Braun for significantly longer than Lovato – kicking off their partnership ten years ago. Since joining forces in 2013, Grande has released six albums, five of which have gone on to top the US Billboard Charts.
Grande was also working with Braun at the time of the tragic Manchester bombing, which claimed the lives of 22 of her fans. In fact, it was Braun who organised the One Love benefit concert in honour of the late fans and, in turn, raised millions to support the victims’ families.
The singer has not released an album since ‘Positions’ (2020) and instead has been focusing her efforts on the upcoming movie adaptation of the famous musical Wicked.
It remains unclear whether she is severing all ties with Braun outside of management. According to Sky News, Lovato and Grande join J Balvin, a Colombian singer, who also left Braun’s management last month to join Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation.
NME has reached out to Lovato’s and Grande’s representatives for comment.
In other Scooter Braun news, last year it was reported that the mogul had regrets about how he handled the sale of Taylor Swift‘s master recordings.
The feud between the two began in 2019 when he bought her former record label Big Machine for $300 million (£227million) through his investment group Ithaca Holdings.
The story then hit headlines again in late 2020 after Swift confirmed that the ownership of her back catalogue has changed hands again for the second time within two years. She also shared a statement in which she said that the master recordings “were not for sale to me” and confirmed that she believed the deal “stripped me of my life’s work”.
When asked if he would change the way he approached the situation last October, he responded: “I didn’t appreciate how that all went down. I thought it was unfair. But I also understand, from the other side, they probably felt it was unfair, too.
“So I choose to look at it as a learning lesson, a growing lesson, and I wish everyone involved well,” he added. “I’m rooting for everyone to win because I don’t believe in rooting for people to lose.”