Happy Friday, everyone! Here's the tea:
After the great Scooter Braun vs. Taylor Swift debacle of 2019, we're finally hearing what Scooter has to say about the whole thing.
Instagram | @scooterbraun
Scooter Braun Addresses Taylor Swift Feud: Says He Was 'Attacked'
Scooter Braun has finally addressed his side of the ongoing feud he has had with Taylor Swift this year, claiming he was "attacked".
Instagram | @scooterbraun
If you aren't already apprised on every moving part to this story, don't worry, I'm gonna fill you in.
It's a complicated story, so bear with me.
Getty Images | Kevin Mazur
Scooter Braun built an incredibly successful career managing big-name artists, starting with Justin Bieber in 2008, eventually making him "the defining music executive of the social media era, known for aggressive online cross-promotion between clients," according to The New York Times.
As Justin Bieber's career took off, so did Scooter's.
Instagram | @scooterbraun
Nowadays, he additionally manages the careers of Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Zac Brown Band, Tori Kelly, Karlie Kloss, and Carly Rae Jepsen.
All of this ultimately led him to purchasing Taylor Swift's former record label, Big Machine Label Group, for $300 million.
Getty Images | Kevin Mazur
By purchasing the label, Scooter became the new owner of Taylor Swift's masters.
Meaning, he owns her entire catalog of music up to that point.
Although Taylor signed with Universal Music Group in late 2018, Big Machine still has exclusive rights to her music catalog.
Instagram | @taylorswift
Taylor explained her dismay in a letter via Tumblr, revealing that she "pleaded" with Big Machine for a chance to own her music.
“I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in," she wrote.
Instagram | @taylorswift
"I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta [the previous owner of the label] would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future."
She revealed that she had no idea the ownership of her masters was be handed to Scooter.
Instagram | @taylorswift
“I learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world,” she wrote. “All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years."
"Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it."
"Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked. Now Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy."
"Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.”
While many people close to Scooter, including his wife, Yael Cohen, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, and Oprah Winfrey, leaped to his defense, Scooter himself hadn't actually responded.
Until now...
In the latest episode of Tony Gonzalez’s "Wide Open" podcast, Scooter maintained his innocence in his feud with Taylor.
Instagram | @scooterbraun
“I went through some drama recently,” he began. “And then put my phone down, looked at my friends and my family … and I was like, ‘I’m good … I’m happy.’ And people question your integrity. They talk [expletive].”
After being publicly dragged by Taylor, Scooter was unfollowed by countless of her fans as well as other artists.
Instagram | @scooterbraun
This included Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles, Little Mix, Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Lana Del Rey, Camila Cabello, Joe Jonas, Billie Eilish, and Britney Spears.
Scooter said that in those types of situations — facing backlash, you’ve “got to know your truth.”
“You got to know your intention,” he continued. “I think you should have no regrets in life unless you do something with malicious intent."
YouTube | Complex
"If I go through life with no malicious intent … hurt people hurt people. They’re going to project it onto you, they are going to say certain things.”
“I don’t really carry it,” he said. “I used to get really angry, but now I am at a place where this is just an opportunity for me long-term to really truly show my truth.”
YouTube | Complex
“It’s hard when you get attacked and it’s not based on any truth, but for that other person it may be based in truth but they don’t have all the information,” he went on.
"And that’s why I am always open to communication and having a conversation with someone".
YouTube | Larry King
"Saying, ‘Maybe this was a misunderstanding and I am happy to have the conversation with you.’ But not everybody is willing to do that and you can’t go through life thinking you’re going to be friends and everyone is going to like you.”
“I try to do the right thing,” he said. “Not everyone is going to be happy with what you do."
Instagram | @scooterbraun
"I think in the long-term, I’ve learned this over time, the truth always comes out. And I am confident in that.”
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