Over the past week, reports detailing music mogul Scooter Braun have been piling up, namely that stars have been dropping Braun as their manager. Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande have all allegedly left Braun\u2019s SB Projects, a media management company he founded in 2007.<\/p>\n
Although representatives for both Lovato and Braun have confirmed that the singer is no longer managed by him following an \u201camicable\u201d parting of ways, rumors surrounding Bieber and Grande\u2019s alleged departures still haven’t been confirmed. Representatives for the artists, nor the singers themselves, have yet to comment publicly on the situation.<\/p>\n
One theory on the situation is that rather than Braun being dropped by artists, he\u2019s in fact pivoting to focus on his new role as CEO of HYBE America, a position he assumed in 2021 alongside co-CEO Lenzo Yoon. At the same time, Braun also sold Ithaca Holdings, the parent company for SB Projects, to HYBE America for $1.05 billion USD.<\/p>\n
The South Korea-based HYBE is responsible for launching the careers of BTS, SEVENTEEN and other major K-pop groups and solo artists. In the beginning of 2023, Braun became the sole CEO of HYBE America and is tasked with growing its presence stateside and expanding its influence in the US music industry.<\/p>\n
Other news reports have alleged that Braun has been angling to get out of management for some time now. The move wouldn\u2019t be totally surprising given that both Bieber and Grande have taken a step back from releasing new projects in the past few years. It\u2019s possible that the artists are still signed to SB Projects but, considering that Braun\u2019s focus has largely shifted to HYBE, are operating under different managers at the company.<\/p>\n