Justin Bieber may still be managed by Scooter Braun, but he reportedly has not spoken to his longtime manager in some time, according to People. Sources told the magazine that it’s been nearly a year since the Justice singer, 29, and music exec, 42, “haven’t spoken in nearly a year.” They also said that Justin has been working on a new record, and Scooter hasn’t been involved.
The insider explained that Justin has been working on the new album without Scooter’s help. “Justin’s been working on his new record for the last six months. Scooter and SB Projects have not set up one session or done one thing for this [new] record,” they said. “The relationship with Scooter has run its course.”
HollywoodLife has reached out to a rep for Justin for comment.
The new claims came shortly after many of Scooter’s biggest clients have reportedly dropped the manager, including Demi Lovato and Idina Menzel. Amid the reports that different stars have left the SB Projects head, there had even been a claim that Justin was parting ways with Scooter, who has been credited with discovering the singer at the beginning of his career.
There had been rumors about a falling out, especially after Justin reportedly sold his catalog to Hipgnosis Song Management for $200 million earlier this year, but reps for both of them denied that Justin was leaving to E! News. Sources close to the popstar claimed that the two “recently worked on something together,” according to Entertainment Tonight. “Justin and Scooter are still working together. Justin is not taking meetings to look for new management,” they said.
Throughout the many reports of people dropping Scooter, there have been conflicting reports about what exactly is going on. A source close to the situation told Variety that the manager was going through a position change, but another source claimed he was “imploding” and another said he was leaving talent management. “All of Scooter Braun’s clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as HYBE America CEO,” they said. “Scooter’s team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana [Grande] as they work through what this new structure looks like.”
The many reports led to a ton of memes about clients dropping Scooter, and the manager made reference to the jokes in his first statement since the reports. “Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself,” he tweeted on Tuesday.