Ariana Grande Ends Decade-Long Partnership With Manager Scooter Braun
In a surprising turn of events, pop sensation Ariana Grande has officially cut professional ties with longtime manager Scooter Braun. The news, first confirmed by Billboard, marks the end of a 10-year collaboration that saw the rise of Ariana’s career from her debut album to her recent chart-topping hits.
This recent development comes on the heels of fellow musician Demi Lovato’s decision to also part ways with the music manager.
Ariana, aged 30, joined forces with Scooter, aged 42, under his SB Projects company just before the release of her first album, Yours Truly, in 2013. Since then, Scooter has been at the helm of her journey, steering her through multiple successful album releases including My Everything in 2014, Dangerous Woman in 2016, Sweetener in 2018, Thank U, Next in 2019, and Positions in 2020.
The tale of their partnership began when Scooter discovered the young talent online and witnessed her charisma firsthand at various award shows. “I kept seeing this girl online. And I knew she had a show that she was involved in on Nickelodeon, [‘Victorious’,] and I would see her at different award shows and there was something very charismatic about her,” Scooter reminisced in an interview with MTV News. As he dug deeper, he became captivated by her remarkable vocal abilities.
However, their journey together hasn’t been without its bumps. The duo briefly parted ways before Ariana’s “Dangerous Woman” album release in 2016, only to reunite later that year. Scooter’s perspective on this phase was shared with Variety in 2018 when he revealed that his team encouraged him to speak out about losing the “Positions” singer from his roster. Instead, he chose to let actions speak louder than words.
“They were like, ‘Never take her back!,’ but I just said ‘Let’s stay quiet and let our truth be our actions,'” Scooter explained, noting that the resumption of their working relationship was spurred by a change in Ariana’s personal life. “And when s—-y boyfriends leave, she starts to see the light on some stuff, and one day I got a phone call.”
Reflecting on the experience, Scooter acknowledged that the challenges ultimately made him a better manager. He realized the importance of doing things for the right reasons and understanding that reciprocity can’t always be expected. “You have to do it for the right reasons, and if you get screwed over in the end, so be it, and hope you had a hell of the ride along the way,” he emphasized.Adding to the unfolding narrative, sources have revealed that Demi, aged 31, has also chosen to sever her ties with Scooter. However, the two appear to maintain an amicable relationship, as Scooter publicly celebrated Demi’s birthday on social media. His Instagram Story featured a photo of the Cool for the Summer singer wrapped in a vibrant blanket, radiating positivity as she got ready for the day.
