Scooter Braun has called it his career.
very controversial Some might say it’s a career.
On Monday, the longtime manager — who rose to fame working with the likes of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande — confirmed he is retiring from the music industry after 23 years.
“I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to live a ‘Forest Gump’ life while witnessing and participating in the journeys of some of the most extraordinarily talented people in the world.
“I’m constantly pinching myself and asking ‘How did I get here?’ And after 23 years as a music manager this chapter has come to an end,” Braun said in a long and self-serving Instagram statement.
“It’s a weird feeling because I think I’ve wanted this for a while, but I was really scared to answer the question ‘Who would I be without them?’ I was really just 19 when I started. So for my whole adult life I’ve been an artist manager on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“And for 20 years, I loved it. It’s all I knew.”
Last year, Grande and Demi Lovato fired Brown, amid reports that he was basically a huge a-hole.
We’re sure Taylor Swift could echo this sentiment, too.
In 2018, Braun’s company acquired the rights to Swift’s first six albums … which prompted Taylor to harshly criticize Braun for trying to control her career.
Braun eventually sold Swift’s catalog for hundreds of millions of dollars, while Swift recorded her own record-breaking versions of those same albums and songs.
Brown cited his children with his ex-wife Yael Cohen in his social media message, saying:
“As my kids grew up and I had some ups and downs in my personal life, I realised my kids were three superstars whom I didn’t want to lose.
“I could no longer justify the sacrifices I was willing to make. It was time to step into a new role… [I must now become] First a father, second a CEO, and now no longer a manager.
Brown explained that he had been thinking about stepping away from management for “the past two years,” though the idea started to feel more real in the summer of 2023 — because “one of my biggest clients and friends told me they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction.”
We’re assuming this is a reference to Bieber.
In announcing his retirement, Brown further said:
“See, life doesn’t give you your plan, it gives you God’s plan. And God has been pushing me in this direction for a while now.
“I have nothing but love for the people I have worked with over the years, and as we develop a different working relationship, I will always be there to advise and support them, whether that be directly or from a distance.”
“Each client I’ve had the pleasure of working with has changed my life, and I know many of them are just starting to see the success they deserve. I’ll be cheering for every single one of them.”
The grand executive meeting concluded as follows:
I never imagined how this chapter would end, hell, I never even saw it coming. But it did. And I will cherish every moment of it. I made my plans… but it seems I like God’s plan more Cheers!”