Selena Gomez Is Proud Of Taylor Swift For Standing Her Ground In Scooter Braun Drama

In the battle between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun, Selena Gomez is totally Team Tay, and we’ve EXCLUSIVELY learned Sel ‘looks up’ to Taylor as her ‘role model’ because ‘she fights for what she wants.’

Selena Gomez, 26, “always has a reason to look up to Taylor Swift,” a source close to Sel EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife, “and Taylor’s recent fight over her music is yet another thing that Selena sees as a powerful move” on her BFF’s part. After Taylor called out Scooter Braun after learning he’d acquired her back-catalog of music, Selena’s appreciation of her bestie shot through the roof. Selena “looks to [Taylor] as a role model because she fights for what she wants, and the change she wants to see. Selena would like to take on a little of that mentality for herself,” the source said.

“Taylor has always had Selena’s back,” the insider tells HollywoodLife, “and the least Selena can do is be there for Taylor during any drama that she has to take on. Selena honors that friendship and will protect it at all costs. She will be there for Taylor no matter what.” Selena, the insider says, will do whatever she can to ensure that Taylor “know that she [Sel] has her back, because that [support] is so important to her and for her friendship.” Sel supporting Tay, per the source, “will be the case – always.”

Selena “feels really bad that Taylor lost her chance to [own] the rights to her music,” the insider says, adding that the “Bad Liar” singer is trying to find the silver lining in this drama. “Selena learns from Taylor every day, and this ordeal is another learning experience that Taylor has inadvertently helped her with.” Selena’s albums have been on Hollywood records (owned by the Disney Music Group) and Interscope (owned by Universal Music Group), so the chances of Selena’s masters getting sold to Justin Bieber’s manager are slim. But, when it comes to signing a new recording contract, Selena will likely remember Taylor’s turmoil before signing on the dotted line.

Taylor took to Tumblr on June 30 to trash Scooter and Big Machine Label Group’s founder and now-former owner, Scott Borchetta. Taylor said she “pleaded” for the chance to own her first six albums, but was told she could “ ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in.” She made the “excruciating choice to leave behind my past” and sign to Universal Music Group. She accused Scooter, now the owner of her discography, of bullying her in the past (through his clients, Justin Bieber and Kanye West) and him having control of her masters is the “worst-case scenario.”

Battle lines were drawn after that. Katy Perry signed a Change.org petition that demands Taylor gets control of her masters. Halsey penned a message that said Taylor “deserves to own the painstaking labor of her heart.” Cara Delevingne and Brendon Urie have defended Taylor, while Iggy Azalea tweeted her support. In addition to that, Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez reportedly unfollowed Scooter on social media.

As those stars rallied to Taylor’s cause, Justin defended Scooter. Demi Lovato also came to his side by saying that Scooter is a “good man.” Scooter’s wife, Yael, jumped into the fight to call shade on many of Taylor’s accusation. “My husband is anything but a bully,” she said. “He ‘s spent his life standing up for people and causes he believes in.”